Chris Hardman from Forest Fire Management Victoria warned that weather conditions over the next few days are increasing the possibility the fires will spread.
“Right now firefighters are planning to do everything in their powers to protect communities,” he said.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Kevin Parkyn said stifling heatwave conditions would settle over parts of Victoria on Saturday, escalating fire risks.
“When we look at the next seven to 10 days the main message is that there will be a hot dome over Victoria.
“Once we get into the weekend don’t be surprised if we see heatwave conditions unfold across the state, and continue to intensify into next week.
“The landscape is dry, and if we continue to see these hot conditions, it will continue to dry the landscape out further.”
Hotter temperatures are fuelling increasingly severe natural disasters across Australia, researchers have found.
Scientists have documented a marked increase in extreme fire weather across the country since the 1950s.
The unprecedented “Black Summer” bushfires of 2019 to 2020 killed 33 people and millions of animals, razed vast tracts of forest and blanketed major cities in thick smoke.
