Heatwaves fuel bushfires across Australia, destroying homes in Victoria
Extreme heatwaves scorched parts of Australia as temperatures soared above 49°C, fueling bushfires in Victoria that destroyed homes and disrupted water supplies. Emergency warnings remain active, train services between Melbourne and Sydney will be replaced by coaches, and Canberra recorded its highest-ever temperature at 43.5°C.
- Life
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 04:12 | 28 January 2026
Several Australian states recorded extreme temperatures on Wednesday as heatwaves fueled bushfires that destroyed homes, a day after parts of New South Wales and South Australia saw temperatures rise above 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), local media reported.
Towns across New South Wales and Queensland continued to swelter while firefighters battled multiple dangerous bushfires in Victoria that have destroyed homes and left hundreds without power, ABC News reported.
A bushfire destroyed around 16 structures near Gellibrand in Victoria, while the community's water supply was also affected, according to the report.
Six major fires were still burning across Victoria, down from eight earlier in the week.
Emergency warnings remained in place for parts of the Otways, alongside several Watch and Act alerts. Three fires -- at Walwa-Mount Lawson, Wonnangatta-Dargo and Carlisle River -- have yet to be brought under control.
New South Wales transport authorities said daytime train services between Melbourne and Sydney will be replaced by coaches for the next three days due to the extreme heat.
Parts of Australia's capital, Canberra, were also hit by high temperatures, with the city's south recording 43.5C, the hottest temperature ever recorded at the site.