Several bushfire alerts are in place in Australia due to extreme high temperatures of more than 40°C hittng parts of the country.
Lightning strikes sparked more than 250 fires in Victoria yesterday and a fire ban was issued across the state.
Temperatures in Melbourne remained above 30°C for much of Tuesday night, while earlier the excessive heat caused a ball boy and Canadian player Frank Dancevic in the Australian Open to collapse.
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, experienced its fourth-hottest day on record, reaching 45.1°C.
More than 14,000 properties have experienced power outages, with many thought to be caused by thunderstorms and lightning strikes, the ABC reported.
There were also reports of road tar melting in the heat in Tasmania.