Power outages across the Dandenong Ranges were starting to be recorded early on Wednesday 7 January, ahead of the forecasted 40-degree day.
Properties in Emerald, Belgrave, Menzies Creek, Clematis and Narre Warren reported outages between 5am and 7am.
In total, it was estimated that 2452 houses lost power, with the largest outage of 2400 restored by 9.57am.
The unplanned outages were all under investigation, with construction scheduled to return power.
Restoration of power was scheduled between 12pm and 5pm.
“On extremely hot days, the electricity grid can be under a lot of pressure. We plan ahead for summer but outages can still happen,” AusNet posted to its social media channels on 5 January.
If your power goes out, check Outage Tracker for the latest restoration times: outagetracker.com.au
• Life support customers, please be ready to activate your emergency plan. Call our priority line anytime on 1800 818 832.
• Check on your neighbours to see if they’re ok – especially if they’re vulnerable or sensitive to heat, like the elderly, or families with young children.
• If you have an electric water pump, stock up on bottled water.
• Fill an esky with ice to keep your food and drinks cool
• Keep your pets cool and indoors if you can. Leave a bowl of water outside for local wildlife.
• Charge your battery packs so they’re ready to power your mobile phones
• If you’re in immediate danger, call 000. For emergency services, call the SES on 13 25 00.
