Australia braced for severe bushfire risks as a brutal heatwave hammered south-eastern states on Friday. Victoria, under a total fire ban, faced catastrophic fire danger ratings unseen since 2019-20. "Fires were expected to be unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast-moving," said Victoria's emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch. With Melbourne's temperature expected to hit 43°C, and up to 45°C in suburbs, conditions were extreme. South Australia and NSW’s Riverina also faced extreme fire dangers. Fires were already raging at Longwood and Walwa in Victoria. CFA chief Jason Heffernan warned of “dire” conditions, including wind gusts up to 100 km/h. Fire bans extended across Victoria, much of South Australia, and four NSW fire districts. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported records broken on Thursday: Renmark reached 47.3°C, Loxton 46.2°C, and Hopetoun 46.3°C. Overnight temperatures remained high; Renmark’s minimum was 30.9°C. Meteorologist Sarah Scully urged people to "stay cool, hydrated and indoors where possible." A late cool change was forecast to hit Melbourne by evening, moving heat and winds into southeastern NSW, bringing fire risks to parts of the state Saturday with Sydney expected to reach 42°C. Tasmania also declared a total fire ban in southern regions from Saturday. Climate expert Adjunct Prof Andrew Watkins of Monash University noted the unusual combination of intense heat and fire risk during a La Niña summer, attributing it to "the strongest stratospheric warming above Antarctica since 2019, and climate change." Meanwhile, northeast Queensland faced severe weather and flood watches as a tropical low approached, with a chance to develop into a cyclone near Townsville this weekend. Australia's 2025 was its fourth-warmest year on record, with temperatures 1.23°C above average, highlighting rising extreme weather events linked to the climate crisis.