At least four people are missing and homes have been destroyed in fires that have ripped through Victoria's East Gippsland.
Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the missing people at a press conference on Tuesday morning in Melbourne.
"There are four people unaccounted for. We can't confirm their whereabouts," Mr Andrews told reporters.
The missing people are not firefighters, he said.
Homes have been destroyed but authorities could not yet provide an exact number.
The fire has cut power to the town, with AusNet Services reporting 5,700 properties in East Gippsland without electricity due to the fires, and another 1,800 in northeast Victoria also down.
Mobile and landline phone lines are also down in parts.
The fires grew rapidly overnight due to winds and lightning strikes and have ripped through more than 200,000 hectares in East Gippsland, it was estimated early on Tuesday morning.
Seven emergency warnings, the highest alert, remain in place across East Gippsland and there is another in place for a fire straddling the northeast Victoria-NSW border at Walwa/Corryong.
Also, around 4,000 people were evacuated to the beach in Mallacoota, which was being hit by fire from about 8.30am on Tuesday.
