Victoria swelters as heatwave puts firefighters on edge

Victoria swelters as heatwave puts firefighters on edge

Temperatures are set to hit the high 30s across much of the state on Friday,pushing the fire-danger rating to ‘high’ in some parts.

  • byCassandra Morgan andLachlan Abbott

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Children rescued from Port Phillip Bay;winds fan Great Ocean Road fires as smoke wafts into Melbourne

Children rescued from Port Phillip Bay;winds fan Great Ocean Road fires as smoke wafts into Melbourne

Strong winds have caused havoc in Victoria,with children rescued in Port Phillip Bay and firefighters battling to contain a bushfire near the Great Ocean Road.

  • byCassandra Morgan andRoy Ward
Bushfires still bearing down on western towns as cool change nears

Bushfires still bearing down on western towns as cool change nears

Towns in Victoria’s south-west face a nervous wait overnight as some bushfires continue to burn out of control,even as a coming cool change is expected to bring wild winds and heavy rainfall.

  • bySherryn Groch,Gemma Grant andBianca Hall
Victoria bushfires LIVE:Emergency,watch-and-act warnings issued across west

Victoria bushfires LIVE:Emergency,watch-and-act warnings issued across west

After hot and windy conditions across the state,bushfires have broken out in multiple locations across Victoria’s west,south-west and north-west,threatening small communities.

  • byBianca Hall andSherryn Groch
‘Summer of grass fires’:Authorities warn of increased fire risk

‘Summer of grass fires’:Authorities warn of increased fire risk

A drier-than-average winter has left a build-up of vegetation fuel across Victoria.

  • byBianca Hall
Burnout and trauma:huge climate cost on emergency workers revealed

Burnout and trauma:huge climate cost on emergency workers revealed

One type of injury suffered by police and firefighters leapt by 50 per cent during the Black Saturday and Black Summer bushfire disasters.

  • byBianca Hall
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Hot,wet summers becoming the norm in Australia

Hot,wet summers becoming the norm in Australia

A muggy,stormy summer is on the cards,as global warming fuels an increase in humidity and heat.

  • byCaitlin Fitzsimmons
Thongs and crowd-surfing:Why live music events can’t afford insurance

Thongs and crowd-surfing:Why live music events can’t afford insurance

A federal inquiry has heard from insurers about rising premiums for venues and festivals. They say unpredictable weather events – and crowd behaviour – are partly to blame.

  • byPenry Buckley
‘Depraved ideology’:Terrorist smiles after being jailed over Islamic State pledge

‘Depraved ideology’:Terrorist smiles after being jailed over Islamic State pledge

Aran Sherani,who pledged allegiance to the terror group after lighting bushfires,may be out of prison in just under three years.

  • byTara Cosoleto
Once healthy creeks in the Sydney catchment have become dead zones. Now scientists know why

Once healthy creeks in the Sydney catchment have become dead zones. Now scientists know why

New research provides scientific evidence that longwall mining is draining endangered upland swamps,eroding water quality and creating fire risk.

  • byCaitlin Fitzsimmons
The forest survived devastating bushfires. Now it’s being bulldozed for holiday homes

The forest survived devastating bushfires. Now it’s being bulldozed for holiday homes

Houses in the popular coastal village sell for up to $4 million,with vacant blocks going for almost $1 million.

  • byCatherine Naylor