November 14, 2009
Fire crews on alert as Australia temperatures soar
November 14, 2009 (AAP) — Fire crews are on standby across Victoria as a severe fire danger rating comes into effect in the north-west of the state. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) have warned that high and very high fire danger ratings will be in place in other regions of Victoria. Temperatures in the Mallee region are predicted to hit 41C on Saturday and Sunday and 37C on Monday. DSE state duty officer Dennis Ward said that at this time of year fire crews and incident control centres were on standby across Victoria. … ‘‘People need to be aware that we’ve had a long, hot, dry period and it’s going to continue for bit,’’ he said. …
