Sydney suffers one of
Teen charged with starting blaze during fire ban in Victoria, homes lost in SA
Sydney has endured one of its hottest days in recorded history after the mercury hit 47.3C in Penrith. Earlier yesterday the NSW Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) revealed that Penrith had beaten Sydney's previous record of 47C, which was recorded in Richmond on February 11, 2017.
However, the BoM later revised their statement, saying 47.8C had been recorded in Richmond in 1939.
A severe fire danger rating was issued for the greater Sydney region yesterday while much of the rest of the state has a “very high” rating.
Total fire bans are in place for Sydney and the Hunter region.
Temperatures hit 43.4C at Sydney’s Observatory Hill.
In Victoria, a teenage girl has been charged with starting a fire that damaged one home and threatened dozens more in Melbourne’s southeast.
It took more than 300 firefighters to contain the blaze in Carrum Downs on Saturday, with 50 fire appliances in attendance.
The 15-year-old girl has been charged with intentionally starting a bushfire after the blaze badly damaged a family home on Darnley Drive and put the entire street at risk. The teenager has been bailed to appear before a children’s court at a later date, Victoria Police said.
The fire started in Blue Wren Rise on a day authorities had declared a total fire ban as temperatures across the state soared above 40C.
It soon spread to surrounding dense scrubland and prompted the evacuation of 30 residents from Darnley Drive and Augusta Court. One family home was severely damaged when embers got into an evaporative air conditioning unit. No one was injured but the family cannot return home. The blaze also damaged sheds, fences and a motorhome. Fire crews yesterday continued to black out areas after spending the night extinguishing hot spots.
In South Australia, a number of