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Three homes lost in Vic bushfires

Homes have been lost as northern Victoria prepares again to swelter through a day of 40C heat with a total fire ban declared in four districts.

Firefighters near the scene of a fire in Somerville
Communities near two Victorian bushfires have been told that they need to remain vigilant. (AAP) Source: AAP

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Source: AAP


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Three houses have been lost to the bushfire near Ballarat.

Victoria's emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley said one of the homes was on a farm near Mt Bolton.

"We now see over 143 homes have been lost in Victoria during this fire season. That's devastating in itself," he told the Nine Network on Wednesday.

Mr Lapsley said they expected more property damage reports as the day unfolded with farming infrastructure expected to be heavily impacted.

The cause of the fires is still under investigation, but urged people to take care.

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"It doesn't mean to say we've got malicious arsonists ... but it is concerning that we still have total fire ban days, days of severe weather where we see fire starting. We had over 400 fires reported yesterday."

Parts of Victoria are subject to a total fire ban on Wednesday as the mercury looks to soar well into the 40s again.

The Mallee, Northern Country, North Central and North Eastern districts have been assigned severe fire danger warnings as strong winds and high temperatures create perfect conditions for fires.

The Bureau of Meteorology's senior forecaster Dean Stewart says fresh northwesterly winds of 30 to 40km/h across northern areas of the state will make "any fires very difficult to control".

But while temperatures along the Murray will exceed 40C, southern Victoria will experience only low 20s, with Melbourne reaching a top of 29C.

A State Control Centre spokeswoman said of the two lived-in houses damaged one was completely destroyed.

A third unoccupied farmhouse was also burnt to the ground.

Six sheds have been lost in the Mt Bolton blaze as well, which has scorched 1300 hectares in total.

"The fire is not yet under control but it is contained," the SCC spokeswoman said on Wednesday morning.

And we are quite confident, now that it's contained, that we can keep it contained.

Authorities say there were no lightning strikes in the area on Tuesday and the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Fire crews are also continuing to work on a fire at Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula.

Some 800 metres of railway sleepers have been damaged and fencing was also destroyed.

Noel Frunks, who runs Mt Bolton Homestead and Poultry Stud, lost his home in Tuesday's blaze.

He said several hundred breeding birds had been incinerated but a shed containing chicks had survived.

He's now looking for a home for around 400 young birds as he's without electricity and water and can't care for them.

"Things are in a little bit of a pickle," he told 3AW on Wednesday.

Mr Frunks said authorities had declared the fire was a "human event" which he believed was code for "some bastard lit a fire".


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