Victoria heatwave as it happened: State swelters under worst conditions since Black Saturday; fire threatens Great Ocean Road

Thank you for following our live coverage of Victoria’s record-breaking heatwave and bushfire crisis.

This is where we will leave today’s rolling coverage, but we’ll be back with another blog following live developments on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at what we’ve covered:

• An erratic and extreme bushfire burning out of control in the Otway Ranges has claimed at least three homes and will threaten many more after it built up force following Tuesday afternoon’s wind change.
• Residents near the fire were told to either evacuate immediately or take shelter after it was too late to leave, while towns along the Great Ocean Road remained under threat.
• Dozens of other bushfire warnings apply in the state, including north of Camperdown in the state’s south-west, where another blaze is threatening towns.

• Several temperature records were broken in Victoria on Tuesday. The Mallee town of Walpeup recorded 48.9 degrees at 3.36pm, and Hopetoun in the southern Mallee region recorded the same at 4.04pm. Hopetoun held the previous record, which was 48.8 degrees recorded on Black Saturday in 2009.
• Parts of Melbourne surpassed a forecast of 45 degrees.
• More than 100,000 properties were without power across Victoria on Tuesday night, and thousands of homes in the state’s south-west may be without electricity for days after the Otway bushfire crippled one of the main power lines in the region.
• A 17-year-old record for electricity demand was broken in Victoria, but Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the state had sufficient reserves to meet its needs.
• A total fire ban will be in effect in the Wimmera and North East districts on Wednesday, as hot, dry and windy conditions persist, making it difficult to control bushfires.

Thank you again for following our live coverage. I’m Cassandra Morgan, signing off.

Victoria can add another record to its list, after it broke a 17-year-old record for electricity demand.

That’s according to Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, who said on social media that there were now 106,000 outages across the state’s power network.

“With record-breaking heat, Victoria has surpassed a 17-year-old record for electricity demand this evening,” D’Ambrosio wrote.

“Despite this, the independent market operator (AEMO) advises that Victoria has sufficient reserves in place to meet our needs.”

The outages were because of a combination of bushfires burning out electricity assets, trees falling on poles and wires and heat-related equipment failure, she said.

The situation on the Otways fire ground remains dynamic, as it does north of Camperdown, where another fire is spreading out of control.

The relevant emergency warnings are changing frequently, and it’s important that anyone affected by the fires closely monitors the VicEmergency website. As of 8.10pm AEDT, here are some of the most severe warnings.

• Emergency warning, take shelter now (it is too late to leave) – Barongarook, Barongarook West, Barramunga, Barwon Downs, Carlisle River, Forrest, Gellibrand, Gerangamete, Irrewillipe East, Kawarren, Lovat, Upper Gellibrand and Yaugher.
• Emergency warning, shelter indoors now (it is too late to leave) – Kariah, Larralea, Leslie Manor and Taaraak.
• Emergency warning, shelter indoors now (it is too late to leave) – Berrybank, Gnarkeet, Gnarpurt and Lismore.
• Emergency warning, take shelter now (it is too late to leave) – Berrybank, Foxhow, Larralea and Leslie Manor.
• Watch and act warning, evacuate immediately – Barramunga, Beech Forest, Chapple Vale, Charleys Creek, Crowes, Dinmont, Ferguson, Graham Junction, Kincaid, Lavers Hill, Mount Sabine, Olangolah East, Pile Siding, Stalker, Tanybryn, Upper Gellibrand, Weeaproinah, Wimba and Wyelangta.
• Watch and act warning, evacuate immediately – Barongarook West, Barwon Downs, Benwerrin, Coram, Gerangamete, Murroon, Tulloh, Yeodene and Pennyroyal.

Dozens of other warnings remain in effect across the state, which you can find on the VicEmergency website. You should also refer to the website for precise boundaries for the warnings, as multiple warnings can apply to the same town.

The Otways fire has reached its “very worst” peak after the wind change, and gusts are only going to get stronger, emergency services say.

Forest Fire Management Victoria chief officer Chris Hardman told Nine News the fire was “running hard and fast in a north-westerly direction”, after earlier escaping containment lines.

The fire is likely to continue spreading for hours.

“Right now is the very worst period,” Hardman said. “Those winds could even get stronger.

“We’re looking at the winds over Bass Strait at the moment: they will move to the fire ground in the not too distant future, so we could see those strong winds be sustained for at least another couple of hours.”

Authorities promised earlier today the wind change would make for erratic conditions in the fire grounds – and that’s what we’re seeing now.

The current warnings are changing frequently, and the best place for affected residents to monitor them is on the VicEmergency website.

North of Camperdown, in the state’s south-west, the Camperdown-Lismore Road fire has worsened, and residents in Lismore, Gnarkeet, Gnarpurt, Berrybank, Foxhow, Larralea and Leslie Manor are being told to shelter indoors now.

“You are in danger, act now to protect yourself,” warnings read. “It is too late to leave. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately.”

The Otways fire is still subject to a number of dynamic evacuation warnings. Among them, one issued at 5.45pm AEDT, warns residents of Barongarook West, Barwon Downs, Benwerrin, Coram, Forrest, Gerangamete, Murroon, Tulloh and Yeodene to evacuate immediately.