Australia Weather News

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

The Carlisle River fire is now one kilometre from the community of Gellibrand, spreading in an easterly direction, with an emergency warning stating it could impact homes at any time.

State Control Centre spokesperson Reegan Key said crews spent the night protecting houses.

"We have over 50 fire trucks down in that Gellibrand and Carlisle River area," Ms Key told ABC Radio.

"We're confident in the protection that we have there, but that fire's taken quite a significant run overnight."

She said there was no information yet about any property losses.

Victorian Forest Fire Management chief fire officer Chris Hardman said the conditions in the Otways yesterday were challenging.

"We had that extremely hot weather and some stiffening winds," he told ABC Weekend Breakfast.

"That fire is right on the edge of Gellibrand and that fire will continue to move today."

Conditions were expected to ease today but extreme heat would return on Tuesday.

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.

Colac Otway Shire Mayor Jason Schram said a lot of people had left their homes and were sheltering at an emergency relief centre in Colac, or with family or friends.

"There were certainly houses that were under immediate threat," he said.

"Those that are in the areas of [the emergency take shelter warning] should certainly heed those warnings. We're not out of the woods."

He said the town of Gellibrand included a long main road with a riverside pub, local businesses and houses surrounded by farms and thick bushland.

He said there were a lot of visitors in town for the long weekend. 

Christine and Bjorn Holm evacuated to a relief centre in Colac.

They have lived in Gellibrand for more than 40 years and Mr Holm said it was the closest a fire has come to their property.

"We've been evacuated a couple of times before but this time it's looked a little bit more scary," he said.

Ms Holm said they tried not to panic when they received the VicEmergency app warning to leave and then saw the smoke plumes near town.

"It's a good job we did leave because there was a fire right there," she said.

"We just hope we've got a house and chooks to go back to, but who knows."

She expressed concern about the welfare of the Otways koala population, rolling up the sleeve of her cardigan to reveal a tattoo of a koala on her arm.

"That's the worst of it, all the wildlife," Mr Holm added.

Rob Murphy has sent his daughter to a friend's house in a safer area while he shelters at the Gellibrand River Hotel with their three dogs.

They moved to the area two years ago.

He said he was staying to help the publican feed firefighters and check the property for burning embers, but would leave if it became too risky.

"Where we lived in the past, I guess it was grass fires, so this is my first time having some experience in a bushfire," Mr Murphy said.

"I'm a bit of a realist. This is what our future will be like in this environment that we live in today."

Air quality plummets across southern Victoria

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 in those areas are warned the smoke may irritate their eyes and aggravate existing heart and lung conditions, causing coughing and wheezing.

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

People over the age of 65, children under 14 and pregnant women are also being told to reduce heavy physical activity.

The fire threatening Gellibrand and Carlisle River 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.

Mr Hardman saidWatch and Act Warnings were still in place for communities surrounding the Walwa and Wonnangatta Valley fires, which were still not yet under control.

"[The Walwa] fire has got incredibly high temperatures and an unstable atmosphere so that fire is likely to move further to the south, moving out of that Hume region into Gippsland so we ask those communities to keep an eye on that," Mr Hardman said.

"That's not necessarily going to threaten communities in the days ahead, but that fire could significantly increase in size and continue to challenge firefighters for many weeks to come."

Mr Hardman said Victorians still faced a long bushfire season.

"It's really important for the community to understand that if you're in the north of the state, it's hot and it's dry and it's really challenging conditions.

"On the coastal fringes in the southern areas where most people live, it's feeling much milder but don't be mistaken or lulled into a sense of security — these fires can continue to grow and challenge us."

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.