Australia Weather News

Victorians have been warned to prepare for more property losses, as large parts of the state grapple with "catastrophic" fire conditions and two out-of-control bushfires.

A total fire ban has been declared for the state, with severe winds and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius forecast across large areas.

The Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and South West districts have been given "catastrophic" fire risk ratings, while the rest of Victoria has an "extreme" risk that authorities yesterday described as being at the upper end of the rating.

Emergency warnings continue for numerous communities as a bushfire near Longwood in central Victoria burns through nearly 30,000 hectares, with property losses confirmed in the small town of Ruffy.

Ruffy Country Fire Authority (CFA) captain George Noye said on Friday morning he knew of about 10 properties that had been destroyed, and a member of his crew was in hospital with third-degree burns to his hands.

"Some properties have lost everything," he said.

"They've lost their livelihoods, they've lost their shearing sheds, livestock, just absolutely devastating.

"But thankfully, at the moment, no lives have been lost."

Earlier, Mr Noye told the ABC the main street of Ruffy looked like "a bomb had gone off".

"We've lost a school … [the] CFA shed's still standing, so that's our hub at the moment," he said.

"The school, it no longer operates, but it was a community hub for us … so it's absolutely devastating to see it go."

Mr Noye says he was able to protect his home and livestock, as well as his parents' and brother's home.

"It's gonna be days before we know the full extent and how many [properties are lost], it's a pretty bad situation up here," he said.

"The community is incredibly resilient and … we'll get through this.

This morning, CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan warned he expected more towns to be impacted.

"The conditions were extreme yesterday. They're catastrophic today," he said.

"Victorians should brace themselves for more property loss or worse."

Emergency warnings are also in place for a bushfire burning in north-east Victoria in the Mt Lawson National Park, near Walwa.

Dozens of towns surrounding these fires have been told to evacuate, as authorities predict dry lightning strikes may cause additional blazes in other parts of Victoria.

The CFA said lightning had already caused multiple fires north of Orbost in East Gippsland on Thursday night, with an advice warning in place for surrounding towns.

Mr Heffernan said he wanted all Victorians, not just those near active fires, to be on high alert.

"Yes, we're talking about Longwood, yes, we're talking about Walwa, but we have many other fires that have started this morning in and around communities … I am expecting more as the day goes on," he said.

"Every community in Victoria today needs to take notice or take action.

"If you see smoke in the air, please access the VicEmergency app, listen to your emergency broadcaster, find out what's going on around you and take the appropriate action."

Worst conditions since Black Summer

Forest Fire Management deputy incident controller Dave Jensen said forecast thunderstorms were expected to increase the potential for dry lightning, which could result in further ignitions.

He said these were conditions that had not been seen since the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.

Forest Fire Management chief fire officer Chris Hardman said it was not safe to be in bushland and urged tourists to stay away.

"It is just too dangerous," he said.

"It is not survivable, radiant heat kills … you will be killed before the fire gets to you in these conditions."

A number of popular tourist spots along the 240-kilometre stretch of Victoria's Great Ocean Road have closed for the day, and all V/Line and coach services operating in catastrophic fire regions have been cancelled.

Chris Miller from the Department of Transport said the Hume Freeway remained closed in both directions between Seymour and Violet Town, near where the Longwood fire was burning.

He has advised motorists to avoid the area.

"Please don't trust satellite navigation in this instance. Don't try to find shortcuts because you could end up driving straight into a fire front," he said.

Victorian electricity distributor Powercor has strongly urged customers to plan ahead for today's extreme weather.

Powercor network emergency manager Steve Rigoni said the forecast winds and lightning could damage electricity assets.

"[Friday's] conditions are among the most severe we've faced in a long time. We're asking everyone to act now — charge devices, prepare backup plans and make sure you're ready," Mr Rigoni said.

"Our priority is community safety. We'll be operating our network on highly sensitive settings to reduce the risk of starting fires. This means power may be affected if faults occur."

For more information on the latest fire warnings for Victoria, visit the VicEmergency website.