THURSDAY, 3.22PM:
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CREWS have controlled a series of small fires in Minyip.
The incidents on Stawell-Warracknabeal Road were first reported about 2.30pm, on a day when the Wimmera was given a severe fire danger rating. Two aircraft were dispatched to help douse the flames.
CFA District 17 Duty Officer Alfred Mason said the area is safe and no properties were ever under threat, while the cause was yet to be determined.
Mr Mason expected the remaining trucks to leave by 3:30pm. He also thanked volunteers at Horsham airport for being ready to refuel and restock their aircraft with water within seven minutes of getting the call for help.
It comes after firefighters quickly struck down a small blaze at a home in Warracknabeal on Thursday afternoon.
One fire truck headed to the home believed to be on Woolcock Street just after midday, needing just three minutes to take care of the flames in the garden area.
The mercury has hit 41 in Warracknabeal, Nhill, Longerenong and Horsham, and 39 at Stawell and Kanagulk today.
WEDNESDAY:
THE mercury will push into the 40s as hundreds of Wimmera people return to work after the Christmas break on Thursday.
The Country Fire Authority has declared total fire bans for the Wimmera and Mallee, with temperatures set to reach between 39 and 43 degrees across the regions.
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued heat health alerts for the Wimmera and Mallee on Thursday, and for the Mallee on Friday and Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a top of 43 degrees for Horsham and Warracknabeal on Thursday, 42 for Nhill, and 40 for Stawell.
Ararat is tipped to reach 39 degrees.
Friday will be almost as hot in the northern Wimmera and Mallee, with Warracknabeal tipped to reach 41 degrees and Nhill 40.
Horsham is also likely to reach 40 degrees that day, while the mercury is predicted to reach 37 degrees in Stawell.
Temperatures have remained in the high 30s across the Wimmera and Mallee since Monday.
The bureau has forecast record-breaking heatwave conditions to sweep across four states this week.
Meteorologist Jonathan How said the heat was not unusual for this time of year.
“What is unusual is how protracted and extended the heat is,” he said.
Mr How warned people to expect similar extreme conditions in the next few months.
"This is the first month of summer, so there is a long way to go for much of the country," Mr How said.
"At the moment the bureau is forecasting a warmer and drier summer than normal, so this could really just be a taste of things to come."
The weekend will bring some relief for those in the Wimmera and Mallee, with top temperatures across the regions likely to be between eight to 10 degrees cooler than Friday.