Western Australia’s North West is bracing for another day of soaring temperatures after three Pilbara towns reached 50+ degrees on Thursday.

Onslow Fire Station captain Adam Conwell told 6PR Breakfast’s Mark Gibson what it was like fighting fires in record heat.

“It was lovely weather for fires, but not for human beings,” he said.

Onslow, population 848, hit 50.7 at 2.26pm, the hottest recorded day in Australia since 1960, when temperatures at Oodnadatta Airport in South Australia also hit 50.7.

Fellow Pilbara towns Roeburne and Mardie also reached 50+ on Thursday, with temperatures in both towns hitting 50.5 degrees about midday.

The maximum temperature ever recorded in WA before yesterday was 50.5 degrees in Mardie in 1998.

Onslow’s average temperature at this time of the year is usually 36.5 degrees. The forecast for Friday is 48 degrees.

Tap PLAY to hear what it was like for firefighters in yesterday’s heat.

If confirmed, today’s 50.7ºC at Onslow Airport in WA was the equal highest temperature on record in the Southern Hemisphere. pic.twitter.com/dNKwpXpqWH

— Ben Domensino (@Ben_Domensino) January 13, 2022