THOUSANDS of residents in Nagambie and Avenel were left without power last Thursday, after the outage was caused by an underground cabling fault.

Air conditioners and fans were out of action while repairs were undertaken by power provider AusNet services, as temperatures in the area reached above 40 degrees.

An air conditioned relief centre was established by Strathbogie Shire Council shortly after the outage at the Longwood Recreation Reserve, which no one attended.

VicEmergency encouraged those without power to stay cool and hydrated, to be aware of heat related illness and to take action early to keep safe.

They advised seeking out the relief centre or places with cool shopping centres like Seymour or Shepparton.

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