Record-breaking Australia heatwave fuels bushfires, cuts power to thousands

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Country Fire Authority and the NSW Rural Fire Service gather at a staging area outside Seymour, as out-of-control fires burn across Victoria, Australia, January 9, 2026. - AAP/Joel Carrett via Reuters

SYDNEY: A record-breaking heatwave baked Australia's south-east for a fifth straight day on Wednesday (Jan 28), fanning bushfires and straining the power grid, leaving thousands of properties without electricity.

The heatwave is the worst seen in Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, since the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires that killed 173 people and is not expected to ease until the weekend, authorities said.