A heatwave blamed for raging bushfires and a spate of deaths eased a little in Australia's densely populated southeast today, but a ban on lighting fires in the open remained in force.
Temperatures slipped below 40 degrees Celsius in most major centres for the first time in several days, but parts of Melbourne and Adelaide still recorded temperatures above that mark.
Although the bushfires had subsided somewhat, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned Australians against complacency, describing the southern part of the country as a "tinder box".
Authorities fear several elderly people may have died due to the heatwave, after 22 "sudden deaths" in Adelaide on Friday. Sudden deaths are those caused by medical conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, said an ambulance official, adding autopsies would determine whether the deaths were heat-related.
In Melbourne, power was largely restored after blackouts left hundreds of thousands of homes in the dark on Friday, but a major bushfire was still burning in the east of Victoria state.
A spokesman for the state's Country Fire Authority said the fire had destroyed 15 homes, consumed 6,000 hectares and was just two kilometres away from a major power line. However, fires elsewhere in the state had largely been brought under control.
Authorities believe some of the fires were started deliberately and have maintained daily 'fire bans' for most areas, under which it is illegal to start a fire. Rudd described the situation as "appalling".
"The southern part of the nation is a tinder box at the moment. It is just appalling And if I have got one message to all Australians, it is simply to exercise extreme caution at this time," he told reporters.
"This is a very, very dangerous time of the year - if we reflect back on the terrible lessons of previous harsh Australian summers." Bushfires occur in Australia every year, with sometimes deadly effect.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology forecast temperatures below 40 degrees Celsius for tomorrow for most centres, although it said Adelaide in South Australia state could hit a maximum of 40 degrees.
Fruit growers in South Australia and Victoria are battling to save crops in the heatwave. But so far the heatwave has remained in southern Australia and not moved north towards the country's main wheat and sugar crops.
Reuters