Australia Weather News

Authorities are urging Victorians living near a bushfire in Grampians National Park to act immediately, with time rapidly running out for residents who wish to leave.

The State Control Centre's Luke Heagerty said expected winds on Thursday morning would soon cut off residents in the area south of the fire.

"By 10 o'clock (10am) today, it's going to be far too late to leave any of the at-risk areas," Mr Heagerty said.

An Emergency Warning has been issued for residents in the towns of Bornes Hill, near the south end of the fire, telling them to take shelter indoors immediately, as it is too late to leave.

An Emergency Warning has also been issued to residents in Strathmore and Mafeking, telling them to leave immediately before conditions become too dangerous.

A Watch and Act message has also been issued for the communities of Kia Ora, Stavely and Willaura, as well as Jallukar, Londonderry, Moyston, Rhymney, Watgania, Willaura North.

Residents in those areas are being told that leaving now is the safest option.

A total fire ban is in place across the state as authorities urge Victorians to avoid all non-essential travel through areas with an "extreme" level of bushfire risk on Boxing Day.

High temperatures and gusty winds are expected to elevate the bushfire risk in most parts of the state on Thursday, with some regions predicted to experience conditions similar to those of the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires.

An "extreme" fire danger rating is in place across the state, except in East Gippsland, where the risk has been deemed as "high".

These conditions could prove difficult for crews currently fighting an out-of-control bushfire at the Grampians National Park, which has burnt through more than 50,000 hectares.

Grampians fire grows larger overnight

Incident controller Mark Gunning said the Grampians fire, which has burned all week, had spread further on Christmas.

"The fire overnight has grown, it’s created its own fire conditions in the last few hours," he said.

"It’s well over 50,000 hectares now, so a fire of that size just poses so many dangers in so many parts of the fire at once."

Multiple communities in the area are at risk. Halls Gap was evacuated at the weekend, while residents of Moyston and Pomonal were ordered to leave immediately about 3pm on Christmas Day.

Mr Gunning warned communities to the southern end of the fire such as Dunkeld to stay alert and prepare for the worst, with conditions expected to change as the wind picks up around 9am.

"If you are on the south or east side of this fire, today is the day you need to be on the top of your game," he said.

"On days like today, if you live in a high-risk bushfire area, the only 100 per cent way to guarantee your safety is not to be there."

Other fires in Bullengarook, west of Gisborne, and The Gurdies in Gippsland were also not under control as of Wednesday afternoon.

While another blaze in Creswick, north of Ballarat, is under control as of Wednesday, fire crews fear it could spread under Thursday's conditions.

Authorities on high alert for new fires

Temperatures on Thursday are expected to soar to between the high 30s and low 40s in the state's north, with gusty northerly winds over western and central districts anticipated.

This is ahead of a strong south-westerly change which may bring gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour, with winds not expected to die down until Saturday.

Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan said these conditions would make it difficult to suppress a new bushfire.

"Follow the strict conditions associated with the total fire ban declaration and understand how the increased fire risk will impact you," he said on Tuesday.

"Ensure your fire plan covers all possible contingencies."

He said additional crews had arrived from other parts of Australia in preparation for the conditions.

Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said Victorians should only drive through areas with an extreme fire risk "if you absolutely have to".

Thursday's total fire ban means no fire can be lit in the open air or allowed to remain alight from 12:01am to 11:59pm anywhere in Victoria.

Victorians reminded to take care in the heat

Aside from the bushfire risk, authorities are urging Victorians to check in on their friends, family and neighbours who might be affected by hot weather.

Dale Armstrong, the director of emergency management at Ambulance Victoria, said heat stroke could be "a life-threatening emergency".

He said vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly, young children and people with medical conditions, were most at risk.

"If you see someone who's experiencing symptoms such as confusion, seizures, collapsing or loss of consciousness, call an ambulance by dialling triple-0," he said.

Mr Armstrong also reminded Victorians to never leave children in parked cars.

"Even on mild summer days, the temperature inside a parked car can be 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the outside temperature," he said.

"The vast majority of children we see locked in cars is accidental, so just be really mindful of who's got the keys and where the children are as you're unloading cars or packing cars."

Mr Armstrong said it was important that everybody stayed mindful of the situation in their local area, which might include being wary of things like smoke from possible bushfires.

"If it is smoky, close your windows, put your air conditioning on re-circ so don't be dragging air from the outside into the house," he said.

He said Victorians who required non-urgent medical care should contact the state's urgent care clinics, nurse-on-call or Victoria's virtual emergency department, rather than call triple-0.

Ambulance Victoria said it had rostered on additional resources in order to support other emergency services in preparation for the Boxing Day forecast.