SYDNEY, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Victorians have been warned to keep safe as a state-wide extreme heat warning has been issued for Monday.
Temperatures are expected to hit 42 degrees Celsius (C) in Mildura in Swan Hill, in the state's far north-west, while Melbourne will reach a top of 34 degrees.
Charles Guest, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, said the warning applied mainly to Victoria's northern districts but people in Melbourne and other parts of the state should also take care.
"It would be wise for everyone across the state to keep drinking water, to avoid leaving children, animals, old people in cars, that's a very dangerous practice," Guest told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.
"Of course, stay cool, keep out of the sun."
A total fire ban has been declared across Victoria for the first time this summer, with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) expecting conditions to be the most dangerous this year.
Graeme Davis, a CFA member, said gusty north to north-westerly winds would increase the risk before a cool change came through in the afternoon.
He said there was plenty of grass ready to burn across Victoria.
"Certainly in the grasslands the fuel loads are very heavy, especially the grasslands around Melbourne and Geelong, the Gippsland and the northeast foothills and the goldfields, Ballarat area," Davis said.
"All the grasslands, are now fully cured and ready and able to burn."
The Victorian Government has brought in a former United States (US) military Black Hawk helicopter from New South Wales (NSW) to assist with firefighting efforts.
Craig Lapsley, Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner, said the helicopter would be based in Ballarat in western Victoria.
