In Victoria, lightning strikes sparked more than 250 fires on Tuesday night, fire authorities said. A fire ban has been issued across the state.

 

In Melbourne, a tennis player and a ball boy at the Australian Open collapsed¹ in the heat.

 

Temperatures in the city remained above 30C for much of Tuesday night.

 

Country Fire Authority chief officer Euan Ferguson said in a statement: "The extreme temperatures [in Victoria] over the coming three days will test fire services and the community. It's critical we minimise the risk of any fires before Friday."

 

 

Meanwhile Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, experienced its fourth hottest day on record, reaching 45.1C.

 

More than 14,000 properties have experienced power cuts, with many thought to be caused by thunderstorms and lightning strikes, ABC reported.

 

In Tasmania, there were reports of road tar melting in the heat.

 

At the Australian Open, Canadian tennis player Frank Dancevic collapsed during a match. 

 

He told reporters the heat made him "dizzy" and made him hallucinate.

 

China's Peng Shuai said the temperatures caused her to vomit³ during her match. A ball boy also collapsed in a separate match.

 

Tim Wood, the tournament's chief medical officer, said: "Of course there were a few players who experienced heat-related illness or discomfort⁴, but none required significant medical intervention⁵ after they had completed their match."

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