Firefighters are working frantically to contain two bushfires burning out of control across Victoria before dangerous fire conditions return for Christmas.
About 100 firefighters, five aircraft and nearly 30 trucks have been sent to the large Jamieson Track blaze 8km west of Lorne in the Great Otway National Park, near the Great Ocean Road.
Temperatures above 30C on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and wind gusts of up to 45km/h will create highly dangerous conditions across the state.
Victoria's fire commissioner Craig Lapsley says a severe fire warning has been issued for the southwest, Wimmera and central Victoria districts in the next few days.
"Thursday and Friday are days of increasing temperature and wind speeds, which are set to peak on Christmas Day," he told reporters on Wednesday.
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"Christmas day will be a hot day, a windy day ... and this means if a fire starts, it can run fast, it will be intense and it will change direction with the wind change."
The Otways area between Lorne and Apollo Bay is dotted with small townships and holiday houses, and surrounded by tinder-dry bushland.
The Great Ocean Road remains open, but plans are in place to slow traffic as the fire burns nearby, a State Control Centre spokeswoman said.
A bushfire raging in Barnawartha in the state's northeast, which has claimed four homes, also remains out of control.
The spokeswoman said fire authorities were close to bringing that fire under control and a watch-and-act alert was still in place.
Lower temperatures and substantial rain is expected to hit northeast Victoria on Boxing Day, bringing relief to firefighters.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews urged Victorians to look out for one another following the weekend bushfires.
"We've seen no loss of life and we're very grateful for that of course, but we've seen significant houses go, really large livestock losses also," he told the media.
"This is what this fire season is all about: being aware of your circumstances, exercising common sense, looking out for each other, having a detailed plan and sticking to it, leaving early and living."
