News Service from House Harris

Vic: Cool temps, light winds help Vic firefighters

MELBOURNE, Feb 11 AAP - Firefighters in Victoria have used cool, relatively calm conditions to try to bolster control lines around bushfires ahead of predicted warm, windy hot weather later in the week.

More than 4,000 firefighters, including hundreds from interstate, still have their hands full with 23 fires out of control and 10 others contained but still burning strongly within control lines.

Threats have eased to towns near the Beechworth fire in the state's northeast, around Healesville on Melbourne's outer eastern fringe, and from the Bunyip Ridge and Churchill-Jeeralang fires in Gippsland.

Strong southerlies that blew across Victoria for much of Tuesday, flaring some of the fires, had abated overnight, Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) spokeswoman Nina Cullen said.

"We've still got several significant fires burning across the state but the weather conditions at the moment have stilled a little bit, which is allowing some good active work," she told AAP.

Firefighters were backburning in some areas and extending control lines in others ahead of warmer weather at the weekend and moderate to fresh winds forecast for the rest of the week.

The Kinglake Complex fire, in which at least 147 of the 181 confirmed victims have died, has blackened 230,000ha of land in a huge area spanning Wandong in the west, St Andrews and Kinglake in the south, Marysville in the east and Flowerdale and Taggerty in the north.

A fire in the Blue Range, south of Alexandra, is the most active sector of that fire.

An urgent threat message is in place for the tiny towns of Rubicon and Acheron, near Alexandra, and for residents along the Thornton-Taggerty Road, Bulls Lane, and Cathedral Lane, near Taggerty, warning that the fire may directly affect their properties.

Residents in and near Yarck and Caveat, northwest of Alexandra, are on alert for spotting from the Blue Range fire.

A series of fires near Healesville, known as the Maroondah/Yarra Complex, remains active.

The fires have burned about 1,200ha and on Monday night threatened to burn houses on the outskirts of Healesville, but easing winds have allowed firefighters to make some gains.

"It's progressing well. It's still burning southeast of Toolangi and east and north of Healesville," Ms Cullen said.

"Residents continue to be advised that fire activity remains high and they need to be vigilant but it's not as aggressive as it has been."

However, increased fire activity was detected at nearby Mount St Leonards early on Wednesday and residents in Healesville, Chum Creek, Badger Creek, Steels Creek, Dixons Creek, Yarra Glen, Toolangi and Castella were placed on alert for changing conditions or increased fire activity nearby.

Fire crews and staff from government agencies are working to protect community assets in the area and water catchment infrastructure at the Maroondah Reservoir.

Fires in the mountains above nearby Warburton and at the Bunyip State Park to the south are expected to cast a pall of heavy smoke over the upper Yarra valley.

The 25,000ha Bunyip State Park fire still rages.

It is burning in the park and state forest areas between Gembrook, Powelltown, Neerim Junction and Tonimbuk, southeast of Melbourne.

In south Gippsland, the CFA has downgraded the threat posed to at least 10 tiny communities by the Churchill-Jeeralang fire.

At least 21 people were killed in the fire, which has burned 35,000ha, destroyed 77 buildings and caused high stock losses.

Conditions have also eased in the northeast, allowing fire crews to strengthen containment lines on the 30,000ha Beechworth fire.

No property was under immediate threat but the towns of Dederang, Gundowring, Gundowring Upper, Glen Creek, Kergunyah South, Mudgegonga and Running Creek were advised to remain on alert for bushfire activity.

"Increased smoke activity could be witnessed as firefighters undertake fresh backburning operations," Ms Cullen said.

Temperatures will remain cool to mild in Victoria on Wednesday, with isolated showers in the south but no rain in the north.

Moderate to fresh southerly winds with high to very high fire danger in grass lands in the north.

A fire weather warning is current in the northern country and Mallee forecast districts and parts of the Wimmera and north central forecast districts with temperatures up to 25 degrees, humidity down to 15 per cent and winds to 45km/h predicted.