Mercury to soar in outback hot spot OODNADATTA locals fear for the safety of tourists when temperatures in the outback town come close to breaking the national heat record it set in in 1960. Nearly 54 years ago to the day, the temperature in the South Australian town, 1000km north of Adelaide, soared to 50.7C. With the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting 49C for today, a recent influx in tourists on the Oodnadatta Track has the manager of the Pink Roadhouse, Hayley Nunn, worried that some will not be prepared for the heat. "Sometimes I wonder why they'd want to be out here in this heat," she said. They've got four-wheel-drives, but some of them have got to be better prepared. I've been making sure that before people leave here, they've got plenty of water and food, because it could be a few days before someone else comes along (if they break down). Another 11 towns and regions in the state's north will record temperatures of at least 45C today, while towns near the state's border such as Broken Hill (NSW) and Eucla (Western Australia) face tops above 40C. The Country Fire Service said it was worried that fireworks used in windy conditions could spark bushfires that would be difficult to control. Catastrophic fire conditions are forecast in the Flinders, mid-north, and the northwest and northeast pastoral districts today. "All it needs is one spark and we've got a fire," CFS state co-ordinator Mark Thomason said. In Victoria, Acting Premier Peter Ryan asked residents to be on the alert for fires. Victorian Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley warned that there were immediate threats facing the state. "We will have severe fire dangers in the northwest and central parts of Victoria," Mr Lapsley said. It's not only heat, but it's dry and expected to be very windy; we expect speeds of 45km/h gusting to 100km/h. Bureau forecaster David House said the South Australian temperatures were at the extreme end of what is expected at this time of year. He said there was a "possibility" 50C could be recorded at Oodnadatta, but it was more likely to be reached tomorrow in an area east of Lake Eyre, where there were no weather stations. with Liam Quinn