MELBOURNE, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the Australian state of Victoria on Thursday issued a warning over a severe heatwave forecast to start on Saturday, with temperatures in rural areas expected to approach record-highs.

Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said at a press conference in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon that hot and windy conditions forecast to hit the state from Saturday will bring a return of extreme bushfire danger.

According to Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecasts, the maximum temperature in Melbourne is expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 42 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has declared an extreme bushfire rating for Victoria's west and southwest on Saturday and for the state's northeast on Sunday.

Speaking alongside Wiebusch, BOM senior meteorologist Kevin Parkyn said that a "dome of heat" would sit over Victoria, with many regional centers expected to approach their all-time maximum temperature records.

It comes after a severe heatwave earlier in January caused a widespread bushfire crisis in Victoria, with more than 400,000 hectares of land burnt and over 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed, including 434 homes.

Wiebusch said on Thursday that seven major fires were continuing to burn across Victoria, three of which remained out of control.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said that fire conditions during the looming heatwave would not be as severe as the catastrophic conditions earlier in January, but warned that fires would still spread rapidly. ■