Bushfires are raging across southeast Australia amid a severe heat wave, destroying homes, cutting power supplies and scorching vast swathes of land.

In Victoria, over 300,000 hectares of bushland have burned since mid-week, with 10 major fires still active. Authorities confirmed 130 structures destroyed and 38,000 homes and businesses left without electricity. The blazes mark the state's worst fire crisis since the 2019–2020 Black Summer fires.

Emergency-level fires are also burning near the Victoria-New South Wales border, as temperatures soar to the mid-40s Celsius. Thousands of firefighters are battling the flames, while dozens of communities have been evacuated and state parks closed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned of "extreme and dangerous" fire weather, noting much of Victoria has been declared a disaster zone. He sent his sympathies to affected regional communities.

Australia's weather bureau said heat wave and fire weather warnings are in place across large areas, including New South Wales where Sydney hit 42.2 degrees Celsius – 17 degrees above January's average high. Conditions are expected to ease over the weekend with a southerly temperature drop.

(Cover via VCG)