Tough terrain, numerous spot fires and the potential for fluky winds are hampering the battle against a bushfire that has razed at least one house and burned through 4000 hectares in central Victoria.
A team of more than 300 firefighters, backed by five fire-bombing aircraft, now face a protracted effort using graders and bulldozers to build rock and earth containment lines around the fire, which has now been pushed into rocky hill country north of Lancefield.
They toiled as hundreds of residents at a community meeting vented their anger at the government agency responsible for setting the controlled burn last week that jumped containment lines for the second time on Tuesday.
Deputy incident controller Chris Jacobsen says fire crews have a difficult fight ahead in rocky, hilly country with narrow tracks, burned-out trees falling or dropping limbs and burning stringybarks sparking spot fires over containment lines.
"This fire will not go out tomorrow. It will take a number of days," he told AAP.
Strong southerly winds that buffeted the area on Wednesday are expected to swing northerly by Thursday afternoon, but hills and gullies in the fire ground produce localised effects, Mr Jacobsen said, making it hard to predict what the fire will do.
The tense community meeting at the Lancefield Mechanics Institute showed many residents have no idea whether or not they have lost their homes.
Some shouted abuse at representatives from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, which set the controlled burn in public forest country a week ago despite warnings of extreme heat and wind from Saturday.
Mr Goodwin said the burn had been long planned, and defended its timing.
Earlier, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters that he feels for residents.
"I can fully appreciate they're angry and they are perfectly right to be angry," Mr Andrews told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
"We will have a full investigation and there will be a proper review as is the case with every controlled burn that gets away from us."
Other residents criticised fire agencies for being unable to tell them if the homes they fled on Tuesday are still standing.
CFA chief fire officer Euan Ferguson told the meeting that falling trees, the terrain and other hazards have hindered a full damage assessment.
So far, the tally is one house and numerous sheds and fences lost, while another house is feared to have been lost.
"I don't want to pull any punches here. But I think it's reasonable to expect there will be more property losses. I hope I'm wrong," he said.
Unable to return home, Tom Barnes is one of many waiting to see if their homes survived.
"I'm not angry at anyone," Mr Barnes told AAP.
"One part of me is really frustrated that it has happened but I also recognise the need to do it for fuel reduction - perhaps they could have chosen their time a little more carefully."
An 80-year-old man believed missing overnight was found safe and well on Wednesday.
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