Australia's heatwave has moved to Melbourne, where the city braced for its hottest day since Black Saturday in 2009.
Temperatures in Melbourne reached 44degC on Friday, the hottest it's been in the city in a decade. And it was too much for the city's electricity grid, with 100,000 homes losing power.
The state hasn't seen a day this hot since Black Saturday in 2009, when 173 people were killed by fire.
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A total fire ban has been put in place, and firefighters warned that any blaze on Friday would have proved impossible to control.
Fierce bushfires are already burning across Tasmania, with two homes lost. And 29 blazes are out of control on the worst day of the fire season.
Residents of the west coast town Zeehan have been ordered to leave. And 21 Kiwis are on the frontline in conditions much tougher than those at home.
"The fire behaviour is more extreme. It's not something we get naturally at home too often but all the emergency planning is right on key," said New Zealand Fire National Liaison Officer, Nigel Dravitzki.
The mass of hot air brewed in the outback hit South Australia on Thursday. The extreme temperatures made Adelaide the warmest city on Earth, and on Friday they hampered Kiwi firefighters called on by Tasmania for help.
A record 46.6degC was recorded in Adelaide and in Port Augusta it reached 49.5degC.
As the heat rose, beer prices tumbled. One pub even gave them away for free. But others suffered from heat exhaustion, with 39 callouts by 2pm.
The tough, long summer's far from over.
December was Australia's hottest on record and January soon could be the same.
Newshub.
