Friday November 13th

More hot weather this weekend will pose a high to severe fire danger in Victoria’s forest areas, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) says.

DSE state duty officer Dennis Ward said the Mallee region, in Victoria’s northwest, could face the greatest threat, with hot weather blowing in from South Australia.

The unseasonally hot conditions were a timely reminder of what’s to come, Mr Ward said.

‘People should be prepared for potentially a long, hot summer,’ he told said.

Temperatures in the Mallee region are predicted to hit 38 degrees celsius on Friday, 41 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, and 37 degrees on Monday.

Temperatures in Melbourne have hit 30 degrees celsius every day this week, with 34 degrees predicted for Saturday and 32 for Sunday.

The DSE expects to contain a fire burning near Cape Conran in the state’s east by 6pm (AEDT) on Friday.

The fire has so far burnt more than 2,800 hectares.

A fire at Cape Bridgewater, on the state’s southwest coast, burnt four to five hectares overnight, with crews expecting to contain the blaze quickly.

Point Nepean Park, east of Melbourne, will remain closed on Friday and Saturday, after a planned backburning operation on Monday jumped containment lines before being controlled on Thursday.