A total fire ban is in places across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees.
A total fire ban is in place across much of country Victoria today, with temperatures tipped to reach 39 degrees.
The Country Fire Authority says the ban applies for the Mallee, North Central, Northern Country, Wimmera and South West districts.
The fire ban means no fires can be lit in the open air between 0001 and 2359 (AEDT) on Sunday, the CFA says.
A CFA spokeswoman said firefighters were working on one grass fire near Barmah in northern Victoria, with smoke sighted in the area at around 9.30am.
The spokeswoman said Sunday was a "severe day".
"It's very hot and dry particularly in the northwest of state," she told AAP on Sunday.
"There's also winds in the area and there's expected southeast changes later today."
The spokeswoman advised people to stay alert and informed of conditions via CFA radio and the bushfire information line.
The Bureau of Meteorology said there were high temperatures across Victoria's northwest which was expected to climb to the high 30s and between 40 and 43 degrees in Mallee.
SA FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE OUT-OF-CONTROL BLAZE
Much of South Australia is under total fire ban until midnight tonight, with temperatures set to reach 39 degrees.
The Country Fire Service has announced a long list of districts covered by the ban.
They include the Northwest Pastoral, West Coast, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East and Lower South East districts.
About 75 firefighters are battling an out-of-control fire in South Australia's south threatening homes and residents in the area.
Country Fire Service (CFS) state co-ordinator Mark Thomason said emergency alerts had been issued to nearby communities as the grass fire raged at Marcollat, near Rowney road.
"There's some isolated farms south of the fire so we're going to issue emergency alerts to communities in the area," Mr Thomason told AAP on Sunday.
"The concern for us is high temperatures and very low humidity (and) we have some very strong winds."
Grass grown over winter provided ample fuel for the fire, located in an area that made access difficult for the three aircraft, 14 fire trucks and 75 firefighters at the scene, Mr Thomason said.
"It's going to be an intense fire for them to combat," he said.
The CFS recommends residents check and follow their bushfire survival plan and take shelter when the fire arrives.
The authority advises residents to leave only if the path is clear to a safe place.
Much of South Australia is under a total fire ban on Sunday.
The CFS has flagged the following fire districts at extreme or severe risk of fire, and declared a 24-hour total fire ban from midnight (CDT).
These are Northwest Pastoral, West Coast, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East and Lower South East.
TOTAL BAN IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA'S SHIRE OF EXMOUTH
A total fire ban is also in place for Western Australia's Shire of Exmouth, in the coastal Gascoyne region.
Open-air fires are banned in the district, one thousand kilometres north of Perth.
Hot work, such as metal welding and grinding, is also not permitted without an exemption.
Meanwhile, temperatures in the Pilbara region are tipped to reach the mid-40s, and inland residents in the region Shire of Ashburton face hot, dry, windy conditions.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services is urging residents to have their bushfire plans and survival kits ready, and monitor the media for updates.
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