Rain causes power outage for tens of thousands of Perth homes as long weekend brings hot weather

Heat moving east with temperatures over 40C expected in South Australia and Victoria

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Light drizzle after a long dry spell is to blame for a series of fires that have cut power to tens of thousands of homes in Western Australia, while extreme heat is set to dominate the remainder of the long weekend in Victoria and South Australia.

A spokesperson from Western Power said dozens of pole top fires had left 38,000 homes in the Perth and midwest regions of WA without power on Saturday morning.

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