Australia Weather News

A bushfire burning out of control in Victoria's south-east has grown overnight and is threatening properties in the Otways.

The Carlisle River fire is now 1 kilometre from the community of Gellibrand, spreading in an easterly direction.

"The fire has grown overnight and is now within 1 kilometre of Gellibrand," an emergency warning states.

"This fire may impact homes and lives in Gellibrand. This bushfire could impact Gellibrand anytime."

An Emergency Warning for Carlisle River and Gellibrand says it's now too late to leave and anyone in the area needs to immediately take shelter.

More than a dozen other communities are under a Watch and Act.

The fire started on January 10 and had been under control until it jumped containment lines on Saturday afternoon.

The fire has caused the air quality across southern parts of the state to deteriorate.

Thick smoke hangs across the Otways, Geelong, Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island.

People are being urged to limit time spent outdoors in the smoky conditions.

People over the age of 65, children under 14, pregnant women and those with heart or lung conditions are being told to reduce heavy physical activity.

This bushfire is among seven major fires burning across the state, located near Longwood in central Victoria, Walwa in the north-east of the state, and in Mallacoota and the Wonnangatta Valley in the east.

Watch and Act Warnings are still in place for communities surrounding the Walwa and Wonnangatta Valley fires, as they're still not yet under control.

A total fire ban has been issued for the Northern Country, North Central, North East and East Gippsland districts for today.

There is a high fire risk for most of the state, except for the North East district, which has an extreme rating.

Extreme heat continues in Victoria's north

While much of Victoria sweltered through temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s on Saturday, cooler weather has arrived for southern areas including Melbourne, which will likely see a maximum in the mid-20s today.

But the heat will persist in the northern parts of the state, with temperatures in many areas including Shepparton and Mildura expected to approach mid-40 degrees Celsius, and towns like Bendigo and Echuca predicted to hit the high 30s.

Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said on Saturday the hot conditions would continue for the next week.

"The Bureau [of Meteorology] is telling us that this could be the longest duration heatwave that we've seen since 2009," he said.

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