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

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 7 min read 100% complete by Royce KurmelovsJanuary 9, 2026 at 11:48 PM

AI Summary

long article 7 min

Australia is experiencing extreme and dangerous weather conditions, with a heatwave and bushfires impacting multiple states. Victoria's premier has declared a state of disaster in 18 local government areas due to 36 active fire fronts across the state, prompting emergency warnings and evacuations. Thousands of firefighters are working to combat the fires, which are described as "very dangerous and difficult." New South Wales is also facing elevated fire danger, with Sydney forecast to reach 43C and even higher temperatures in western suburbs. Local councils and organizations are taking measures to help residents cope with the heat, such as extending pool and library hours and establishing cooling hubs.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Canterbury Bankstown 30% Petra Stock 30% University of Sydney 30% Taronga zoo 30% Queensland 40% Ravenswood 40% Bureau of Meteorology 50% New South Wales ×360% Sydney ×370% Jacinta Allan 80% Victoria ×490%

Keywords

fire threat 95% heatwave 90% victoria 80% bushfires 80% fire danger 75% extreme weather 70% state of disaster 70% high temperatures 60% emergency warnings 60% sydney 60%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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fire threat heatwave victoria bushfires fire danger extreme weather state of disaster high temperatures emergency warnings sydney

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