Australia heatwave live updates: Victorian fire threat ‘very dangerous and difficult’, premier says; temperatures to reach 43C in Sydney

Total fire ban in place for whole of Victoria fires burn while Sydney prepares for the brunt of the heatwaveJacinta Allan says three people that have been missing in the Longwood fires since yesterday afternoon remain unaccounted for.The Victoria police deputy commissioner Bob Hill said yesterday that firefighters had spoken to the man, woman and child on Thursday morning and warned it was too late to leave the area. When crews returned later that afternoon, the house they had been standing in front of had been “completely destroyed”.As soon as we get further details through Victoria Police, we will be providing confirmation because I understand that people are anxious to know about how their friends and family and loved ones are going, and it’s also a reminder for people to check in, check in on your family and friends and neighbours, because this continues to be both a difficult and very dynamic time.To give you a sense of the seriousness of these fires, there’s 19 emergency warnings and alerts out for those communities giving them advice to evacuate or leave because of the threat of the fire.There has been a bit of a weather change. So whilst it’s not the extreme heat in southern parts of the state, in northern parts of the state, it continues to be hot. It continues to be windy. Continue reading...