Feel for people without air con and the poor animals out there
Heat stress, lightning and gusty wind threat as temperature in Adelaide hits 45C
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6801021564
LIGHTNING is sparking several fires across the state as Adelaide's hospitals treat 20 people with heat-related illnesses and the mercury hits 45C.
The mercury reached 45.1C in Adelaide just after 1.55pm, the city's fourth hottest day on record, as the state swelters through the second day of a forecast five-day heatwave.
Lightning is causing havoc for Country Fire Service volunteers, sparking several fires across the state, the most serious at Point Boston on Lower Eyre Peninsula.
The fire, burning near Sullivan Drive, started about 12.40pm and is burning east in scrub towards the Point Boston housing development.
About 50 CFS volunteers are battling the blaze, which has burned about 12ha of scrub, with the help of four water bombing aircraft.
Firefighters are managing to hold the fire front at a road and crews are preparing for asset protection at the housing development.
People in the area are advised to check and follow their bushfire survival plan and prepare for a bushfire. If your plan is to leave or you are not prepared, leave now, the CFS advises.
A watch and act message is also current for a grass fire at Woolshed Flat, near Rhynie, in the Mid North.
The uncontrolled grass fire started at 1.50pm near Rhynie-Salter Springs Rd and is burning south towards Macaw Creek.
Lightning is also believed to have sparked fires burning around the Barossa Valley region, including near Flaxman Valley Rd at Flaxman Valley.
In Adelaide, one baby has received hospital treatment, one person suffered sunburn and another went to hospital after having an air conditioner too high, SA Health chief public health officer, Dr Stephen Christley, said.
They were three of the 20 people to be treated for heat-related illnesses in Adelaide hospital emergency departments in the 24 hours to 8am today.
Dr Christley did not yet have heat-related admission numbers for country hospitals and he would not comment on individual cases.
He said the hospital treatments were mostly for "the elderly and confused'' as the temperature soared to 42C yesterday and reached 33C by eight this morning.
The overnight minimum settled at a balmy 25.5C at 5.32am and reached 42C by about 11am. The mercury has since climbed to 44.1C and shows no signs of relenting.
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The worst seems yet to come with the Bureau of Meterology revising the maximum temperature for today and tomorrow to 44C and predicting 45C on Thursday, before a cool trough moves in to the state's southern areas on Friday.