Large areas of the Australian state of Victoria, including parts of Melbourne, have suffered power cuts after bush fires affected key supply lines.
Massive power cuts and soaring temperatures are causing havoc in the Australian state of Victoria.
In Melbourne, trains, trams and traffic lights were affected, with commuters being warned to expect serious delays.
Electricity supplies to about 200,000 people were hit after a bushfire knocked out power lines linking Victoria to the national grid.
In Melbourne, trains and trams were affected and more than 1,000 traffic lights failed, causing chaos on roads.
The outages happened at a time of high demand as people are using air conditioners to cope with the 39C heat.
"There are power outages across Victoria from the border with New South Wales state to Melbourne," a state police spokesman told Reuters. "The cause is bushfires and heavy demand. It's a stinking hot day and the demand is overloading transformers."
It is not clear when power supplies will be restored.
It is not clear when power supplies will be restored.
Local media said a bush fire near Benalla, in the north-east of the state, had knocked out power lines linking Victoria to the national grid.
Roads jammed
This happened as the electricity network was coming under strain from massive demand caused in part by the sweltering temperatures of 39C (102F).
In Melbourne, Australia's second-biggest city with 3.4 million residents, hospitals have lost power and shops and offices have been forced to close.
As rush-hour hit, massive traffic jams occurred after 1,200 traffic lights in the city and nearby Geelong metropolitan area stopped working.
Police have been directing traffic by hand, but appealed for drivers to take extra care:
"We are asking people to take all due care at intersections with traffic lights out, and we are asking them to be patient," Victoria Police spokesman Senior Constable Wayne Wilson said.
Commuters using public transport fared no better as the city's famous trams ground to a halt and trains were slowed.
Along with a series of blackouts, in which all electricity supplies are cut, some areas have been experiencing brownouts, in which some power gets through, but at a greatly reduced rate.
A spokeswoman for transport company Connex said trains across the suburban network were running, but not at their usual rate:
"They're running very slowly, we've got low voltage coming through," Kate De Clercq said. "There are chances of massive delays, rather than cancellations."
Tennis continues
Both landline and mobile telephone networks also jammed as the disruption caused a sudden spike in calls.
The heat also disrupted play at the Australian Open tennis competition, which is being played in Melbourne, though organisers said the venue still had power.
The heat also disrupted play at the Australian Open tennis competition, which is being played in Melbourne, though organisers said the venue still had power.
"There are power outages across Victoria from the border with New South Wales state to Melbourne," a Victoria police spokesman told Reuters news agency.
Local media said a bush fire near Benalla, in the north-east of the state, had been the cause.
"The cause is bushfires and heavy demand. It's a stinking hot day and the demand is overloading transformers."
Hospitals, offices and shops as well as transport and traffic lights were affected.
Police were reported to be directing rush-hour traffic in Melbourne, the country's second city.
Bushfires are common in Australia's summer, but officials say the situation is even worse than normal this year, because of a long-standing drought.
Bushfires are common in Australia's summer, but officials say the situation is even worse than normal this year, because of a long-standing drought.
Many fires are caused by lightning, while others are started deliberately.Have you been affected by the bush fires? You can send us your experiences using the form below:
Many fires are caused by lightning, while others are started deliberately.
Have you been affected by the power cuts? You can send us your experiences using the form below:
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