Changing winds challenge firefighters in Victoria as three people missing in worst fire day in years — as it happened

VicEmergency has issued shelter-in-place warnings for several areas threatened by the Longwood fire.

They include Alexandra, Fawcett, Lake Eildon, Maintongoon, Devils River, Ancona, Merton, Strathbogie, Strathbogie South, Woodfield and Gooram.

Other areas where residents are urged to shelter include Caveat, Creightons Creek, Dropmore, Gobur, Highlands, Kanumbra, Kelvin View, Locksley, Longwood, Longwood East, Ruffy, Tarcombe, Terip Terip and Upton Hill.

— Miles Proust

Speaking from Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australians' thoughts were with those facing bushfires in Victoria and flooding in northern Queensland.

"These are difficult times and we are confronting some extreme weather conditions in different parts of Australia, different conditions. I would say this is an opportunity for me to emphasise that people need to listen to the advice as it comes through.

"If you're asked to leave your property, please do so."

— Miles Proust

CFA chief fire officer Jason Heffernan said a firefighter battling the Ruffy fire sustained significant injuries to their hand and had been taken to Melbourne for treatment.

"They're trained, they do their best, unfortunately, things happen from time to time," he said.

"I'm just grateful on this occasion it was limited to the hand and he's receiving the best medical treatment."

He said the details of how the injury occurred were not yet known.

"As chief, I always get upset when one of my own gets hurt and we wish a speedy recovery for that individual."

— Miles Proust

Chris Hardman, from Forest Fire Management Victoria, said the Walwa fire has grown to just under 20,000 hectares.

"That fire will continue to grow and communities in that area need to keep a very close eye on that fire," he said.

Fire had also been sparked by dry lightning in Gippsland and the Alpine areas.

"There are currently 13 fires going in that footprint," he said.

He said a blaze near Dargo and Talbotville had been prioritised and firefighters were trying to contain it before high winds this afternoon.

There are also fires at Cabbage Tree and east of Mallacoota.

— Miles Proust

CFA chief fire officer Jason Heffernan has reiterated survival tips for those caught in fires.

"If your community member or someone rings you today and finds themselves trapped in a home or sheltering as the fire approaches or impacts them, do not take shelter in the centre of the home," he said.

"Stay inside the home, but on the outskirts, where you're able to see the outside of the home and the condition outside.

"Many people who die in houses that are subject to bushfire do so because they lose their situational awareness to what is going on around them and the home catches fire without their knowledge.

"Stay on the outside, watch for safe conditions, and if safe to do so, leave the home and wait for fire authorities."

— Miles Proust

CFA chief fire officer Jason Heffernan has provided an update on the weather conditions across Victoria.

He said temperatures of up to 46C were expected in the state's north, while 43C was forecast for Melbourne and other southern areas.

"But it's those hot, north-westerly potentially damaging winds that will be coming across our state that has lifted the fire potential to catastrophic across many weather districts in this state," he said.

He urged Victorians to download the Vic Emergency app, check the website regularly, and listen to their local emergency broadcaster.

He said firefighters were expecting more dry lightning from 2pm in the central part of the state.

_{— Miles Proust}

Following discussions with the federal government, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said personal hardship payments had been activated.

"Those payments are being made available from now, particularly through the Seymour relief centre, and further payments will be made available. But clearly the priority right now is supporting our emergency services."

— Miles Proust

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan urged residents to follow the advice of authorities.

"That is why I want to be very blunt and very direct about this. There are fires across the state and the conditions are already extremely dangerous," she said.

"Listening to the advice and doing the right thing quite simply saves lives.

"I cannot be more clear, if you are currently still in a location where you have been advised to leave, you must leave now.

Allan urged people not to wait for fire conditions to worsen before leaving.

"Leaving now is the safest option, it's the best option. Please, do not leave it until it is far too late."

— Miles Proust

Victoria Police deputy commissioner Bob Hill said police were concerned about two adults and a child who were unaccounted for in Longwood East.

He said CFA representatives warned the trio on Thursday that it was too late to leave and they should shelter in place.

"Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives reattended that area to see the house they saw those three people standing in front of had been completely destroyed," he said.

"Those three people are unaccounted for."

Hill said authorities were not suggesting those people had died.

"I'm not suggesting for one moment we've seen three people perish. All I'm saying is that these people are unaccounted for."

Hill said police had been conducting doorknocks in high-risk areas, including camping hotspots such as the Murray River, the Otways and Wilsons Promontory, urging people to leave.

— Miles Proust

Country Fire Authority emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch said two emergency warnings and two watch and act warnings are in place for the Longwood fire.

Three emergency warnings and four watch-and-act warnings are in place for the Walwa fire.

Wiebusch said 92 personnel from the NSW Rural Fire Service had assisted Victorian firefighters, and a further 117 interstate personnel were expected to arrive on Saturday.

— Miles Proust

Fire authorities have provided an update from the State Control Centre in Melbourne on the heatwave and fire conditions across Victoria.

Country Fire Authority emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch said strong winds meant much of the air support would be grounded.

"There will be periods where our aviation fleet, which is over 70 aircraft today, will not be able to fly," he said.

He said several homes had been destroyed by the Longwood fire in Ruffy, but could not say the exact number.

The area was too dangerous to enter, but aerial surveying revealed the extent of the damage.

No properties have been lost in the Walwa fire yet, but there has been significant damage to a pine plantation.

Wiebusch said there had been 40 fires across the state, including 30 that remain active.

— Miles Proust

Catastrophic fire conditions are the highest danger rating and signify extreme fire risk.

If fires start, they are fast-moving, unpredictable and very difficult to contain.

The Bureau of Meteorology said very hot and dry conditions, with fresh to strong, gusty north to north-westerly winds, were expected to develop over Victoria on Friday morning and persist through the afternoon.

A cooler and gusty west to south-westerly change is forecast over the south-west in the early afternoon, then extends east during the afternoon and evening.

Isolated thunderstorms are expected, mainly near and south of the ranges, with most activity likely in the afternoon and evening ahead of and near the change.

Little precipitation is likely with thunderstorms, bringing the risk of dry lightning and damaging wind gusts.

Victoria's emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said the last time Victoria experienced catastrophic fire conditions was in November 2019, during the devastating Black Summer bushfire season.

"Catastrophic fire danger ratings mean that it will be unpredictable, uncontrollable and fast-moving fires that we will see," he said on Thursday.

Paramedics and first-responders have been relocated from branches in areas of catastrophic fire danger due to their proximity to bushland and limited road access.

"Crews will only be redeployed into these zones in the case of serious or life-threatening illness and only after a thorough risk assessment to consider the safety of our people," Ambulance Victoria said in a statement.

— Miles Proust

George Noye, the captain of the County Fire Authority (CFA) in Ruffy, spoke to ABC News on Friday morning after bushfires swept through the town.

"It has been absolutely devastating. We have lost countless homes," he said.

He said crews were conducting welfare checks to account for residents.

"The main street looks like a bomb has gone off. We've lost the school, our local rec ground, the CFA shed is still standing. That is our hub at the moment," he said.

He said the surrounding roads were "dangerous and hazardous".

Noye said there was little firefighters could do in the dry, windy conditions.

"We've been through fire before, but this is the first time we've been fully hit with the fire front. The community is incredibly resilient and we will get through this.

"We did our best. Thankfully, we're all alive."

— Miles Proust

Authorities have warned Victorians to avoid unnecessary travel today.

Several roads have been closed near the Longwood fire, including:

• Hume Freeway, between Violet Town and Seymour
• Campbell Street and Cliftons Streets, Euroa
• Faithfull Road and Hume Freeway
• Tarcombe Road and Hume Freeway
• Maroondah Highway, between Yea and Maindample

Road closures near the Walwa fire include.

• Murray Valley Highway between Granya Road and Annandale Road, and Murray Valley Highway between Lucyvale Road and Cudgewa Valley Road (local traffic only).
• Murray Valley Highway between Annandale Road and Lucyvale Road, Shelley Road, Murray River Road between the Granya Road and the Jingellic Road intersections (emergency vehicles only).
• You can still leave Corryong and go to Albury/Wodonga via NSW roads, accessed via river crossings in Tintaldra, Towong and Bringenbrong. Do not use the river crossing at Jingellic.

— Miles Proust

Heatwave conditions are forecast for larges parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

Melbourne is forecast to reach 43C, Renmark in South Australia is expected to reach 47C and Canberra is expected to reach 38C.

Seymour, about 90km north of Melbourne and close to the Longwood bushfire, reached 31C by 9am.

A total fire ban has been declared for all of Victoria.

In South Australia, fifteen districts in the state's south are under total fire bans.

In NSW, four districts on the border with Victoria are under total fire bans. They include the Southern Riverina, Eastern Riverina, Southern Slopes and Monaro Alpine.

— Miles Proust

Late last night, Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan warned "tomorrow is shaping up to be the most dangerous fire day we have faced in many years".

"There is a perfect storm building across our state. These fires can create their own weather. Lightning is starting new fires. Strong winds are pushing existing fires closer and closer to communities," she said.

She advised those in at-risk communities who had been told to leave to do so.

"Do not wait. Do not second-guess it. Go somewhere safe," she said.

"Please listen to the warnings. Please stay safe."

She posted again this morning, reminding Victorians there is a total fire ban across the entire state.

"That means no fires. No exceptions."

— Josie Harvey

Welcome to our live coverage of the extreme heat and bushfire conditions across south-east Australia.

Victorian authorities are bracing for the worst bushfire conditions in years today, due to a heatwave, high winds and the risk of dry lightning.

A catastrophic fire danger has been issued for large parts of the state, including the north-central, northern country, south-west, and Wimmera fire districts.

An extreme fire danger is forecast for central, East Gippsland, Mallee, north-east, west and South Gippsland districts.

Two major fires — one in Longwood and another near Walwa — are out of control.

Several structures have been destroyed by the Longwood fire in the town of Ruffy, about 100km north of Melbourne.

— Miles Proust