A weather change has brought welcome rain but also new problems for firefighters battling blazes in Victoria.
More than a dozen fires burnt across the state on Saturday with separate major warnings issued for areas around Moyston, Dimboola, Edenhope and Cherrypool in the west, while a threatening blaze ignited southeast of Melbourne in Hastings late in the day.
The storm band, which crossed the state from west to east, damped down the major Moyston fire on Saturday afternoon after it had burned mostly out of control since midday Friday.
The fire, which has razed almost 5000 hectares in Victoria's west, was burning within containment lines early Saturday evening and authorities have downgraded a warning to say the immediate threat to homes has subsided.
"The good news is the front has brought some moisture with it, particularly over the western parts of the state where we had that serious fire at Moyston," State Control Centre spokesperson Gerard Scholten told AAP.
"The rain has brought some relief. However, the bad news is the wind change has caused some serious problems down at Hastings and Crib Point."
The Hastings fire, a grass fire which started just after 2pm Saturday, was burning in a southerly direction down the coastline before the front reached the Melbourne area.
The fire turned easterly after the wind change, burning in the direction of suburban homes.
The popular holiday spot was evacuated, triggering traffic chaos, though the fire was contained before it could cause major damage.
Evacuated resident Barbara Tipper said she had noticed the fire moving towards her home in Bittern from Hastings when she rushed home to pack her personal belongings.
"It was getting pretty scary," she told ABC TV.
"There's lots of smoke and we have no hope if a fire gets in here."
Lightning strikes from the storm front also triggered a batch of new fires in the state's west late on Saturday, and there are "watch and act" recommendations for towns including Dimboola and Edenhope.
One home, four sheds and an unknown amount of livestock were lost in the Moyston fire, which also posed a threat to the nearby township of Maroona before it was contained.
"I was here for two weeks when the Grampians went up last time, and I stuck it out today too," Margaret Wilson, the publican at Maroona's sole pub, told AAP on Saturday.
"I was a bit nervous. I had the cat and the dog in so that, if I could get out, I could just grab them.
"I was planning to totally stick it out, but you don't know."
A few local CFA volunteers, including Anthony Brady and Mick Watson of Yalla-Y-Poora, were having a quenching ale at the bar late on Saturday.
"For the size of the fire, we've lost a bit," Mr Brady said.
"With a good night and better weather tomorrow, hopefully we'll be able to wind it right back," he said.
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