Two fires burning in the Snowy Mountains have merged, with fears a third could soon follow.
Homes north-east of the town of Coonabarabran in regional New South Wales are under threat Friday afternoon, as a fire quickly spreads along Yearinan Station Rd in Bugaldie, prompting an emergency warning from the Rural Fire Service.
Further south, two fires burning in the alpine region near the NSW-Victorian border have merged, and authorities now fear it could join with a third out-of-control blaze.
Nine fires in the Snowy Mountains region are burning at a watch and act level. The RFS said it was monitoring increased fire activity in the areas but homes were currently not under threat.
The East Ournie Creek fire has merged with the Green Valley fire, burning more than 250,000 hectares of land combined.
An RFS spokeswoman said the blazes are "just kilometres" away from the Dunns Road fire, which is burning in the Snowy Mountains and Kosciuszko National Park.
Firefighters spent the day bracing for extreme conditions across Victoria, NSW and the ACT.
Two evacuation orders are in place for Victoria's high country. Temperatures soared into the 40s on Friday across the state's fire-ravaged East Gippsland and northeast before a cool change arrives in the afternoon.
A number of fires there are burning at an emergency level.
