More than 100 water rescues as heatwave sweeps across Victoria

Lifesavers have conducted over 100 water rescues across Victoria as a heatwave sweeps the state.

A total fire ban has been declared for the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Central and North Central districts on Sunday, when temperatures are forecast to peak in the low 40s.

Dean Edgell and his dog Daisy cool off at Port Melbourne beach on Saturday.Credit: Eddie Jim

Conditions are expected to be dry and potentially locally gusty.

“Tomorrow’s conditions will make it difficult for firefighters to suppress a fire should one start,” Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan said on Saturday.

“Especially with fires in the landscape already, we’re asking people to follow the strict conditions associated with the total fire ban declaration.

“Understand how the increased fire risk will impact you and ensure your fire plan covers all possible contingencies.”

A severe heatwave warning is in place for parts of Victoria this weekend, including Melbourne, and a low-intensity heatwave blankets almost the entire state.

A high fire danger rating also covered most of Victoria on Saturday, except for the Wimmera region, where the danger was considered extreme as the weeks-long Grampians bushfire continued burning.

The temperature at Melbourne Airport topped 38 degrees about 3.30pm on Saturday, while Avalon hit 39 degrees about the same time. Temperatures in the Mallee region were among the most extreme, with most areas in the region tipping 40 degrees by Saturday afternoon.

Yarrawonga on the NSW border passed 40 degrees by about 4.30pm. Much of the state otherwise recorded maximum temperatures in the mid to high 30s.

The heat led to a busy day for Life Saving Victoria, which conducted 103 water rescues across the state – well above a typical day – and dealt with almost 60 medical incidents, six of them major.

Of all the incidents, 16 required extra resources outside regular rostered patrols.

Ten people had to be rescued from the waters at Jan Juc in Torquay. At Gunnamatta Beach at Fingal on the Mornington Peninsula, a man died after he was pulled unresponsive from waters about 10.15am on Saturday.

The man was understood to have suffered a medical episode, Nine News reported.

“Sadly, the man who is yet to be formally identified was unable to be revived and died at the scene,” a police spokeswoman said. “The death is not being treated as suspicious.”

At Safety Beach, also on the Mornington Peninsula, a collision between a jet-ski and a boat about 2.30pm on Saturday resulted in three people riding the jet-ski ending up in the water.

Two of them – a man and a young child – were treated for minor injuries, while a teenage boy from the jet-ski was flown to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said.

“The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” a police spokeswoman said. “The jet-ski and boat have been seized as part of that investigation.”

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said the heat would persist overnight on Saturday and into Sunday, with temperatures dipping to the low 20s, but there would be no lasting reprieve until a more sustained drop on Sunday evening.

Melbourne is expected to reach 38 degrees on Sunday. Swan Hill, Shepparton and Bendigo are forecast to reach 40 degrees and Mildura is set to reach 42. Geelong is forecast to reach 36 degrees.

“[We’re expecting] really very little relief in those overnight periods [on Saturday] now,” Bradbury said.

Philip Rance and Linsay Sadler-Dadge enjoy a spot of shade by the Yarra River on Saturday.Credit: Eddie Jim

“No rainfall is expected this weekend either. We might see, unfortunately, the chance of a dry thunderstorm or two tomorrow across much of the state … elevating those fire dangers.”

In the Grampians National Park in the state’s west, firefighters continue battling a bushfire that has razed 76,000 hectares, destroyed homes and burnt 40 per cent of the park.

“We are hoping the fires … won’t grow, it’s just the heat that might cause us some problems for us today,” State Control Centre spokeswoman Reegan Key said.

“There’s a really high level of confidence that the crew have done some really amazing work in the milder conditions in the last week or so. But you never know … fire is something that you can’t control.”

Authorities have reminded tourists it is perilous to visit the national park and access is forbidden for visitors. Fire agencies hope to reopen the town of Halls Gap, at the foot of the Grampians, next week if the fire remains within containment lines.

A bushfire broke out in Yanakie on Friday, near Wilsons Promontory, a popular camping and hiking destination during summer.

The spread of the fire was stopped on Friday night, and crews are confident it will be managed safely. A VicEmergency stay-informed advice message remains in place.

During the school holidays, many Victorians are expected to flock to beaches, rivers and lakes to cool off.

Ambulance Victoria’s director of emergency management, Dale Armstrong, said water safety was paramount.

“Read the signs around waterways to familiarise yourself with the dangers and, where possible, swim between the flags at Life Saving Victoria-patrolled waterways,” Armstrong said on Friday.

On Friday, a boy drowned in an East Gippsland river and a man drowned off the coast of Rye.

Several V/Line public transport services are running on an extreme-heat timetable.

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