State of play as catastrophic fire conditions loom

FIRE DANGER RATINGS

* Catastrophic fire danger rating for Wimmera district, towards Victoria's border with South Australia, including Horsham, Stawell and Warracknabeal

* Extreme fire danger for Mallee, South West, Central, North Central and Northern Country districts

* Peak fire conditions expected later on Wednesday through to midnight and homes are not designed to withstand those conditions

* Half of Victoria is facing high fire danger rating

TOTAL FIRE BANS

* Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central and Central

* No fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air on Wednesday from 12.01am until 11.59pm

FORECASTED TEMPERATURES

* Temperatures expected to reach mid-40C in northwestern Victoria

* Many parts of the state expected to reach high 30C

* Wind gusts of between 30-40km/h to reach 60-80km/h on Wednesday afternoon

* Dry lightning expected through large parts of Victoria

ADVICE FOR THOSE NEAR BAYINDEEN FIRE

* Rocky Road fire near Beaufort has burned more than 21,000ha

* Beaufort, Elmhurst, Amphitheatre, Lexton, Learmonth and Clunes continue to face heightened fire risk

* Fire remains active and is expected to run again on Wednesday heading south but can swing around with wind changes

* Fires, spot fires and ember attacks resulting in loss of homes, road closures and isolated communities

* People urged to leave on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning

* About 30,000 people living in the area will receive emergency alerts on their mobile phones urging them to leave

* Vulnerable communities, including aged care, have already moved out of danger areas

*Two emergency relief centres operating in Maryborough and Ararat

ADVICE FOR THOSE IN THE WIMMERA

* Activate fire plan and prepare to leave

* Go to regional cities or Melbourne and stay with family and friends

* Organise accommodation outside of area or take caravan away

* Grampians National Park, the Wild State Forest and the Little Desert National Park closed because of catastrophic fire rating

* Steer clear of public land on Wednesday

ADVICE FOR CENTRAL DISTRICT

* Grass fires are the main risk

* Melbourne's outskirts, including western and northern suburbs, at risk of fast-moving grass fires

FOR THOSE PLANNING TO LEAVE

* People living in catastrophic and extreme bushfire risk areas asked to leave and to leave early on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning before lunchtime

* Have bushfire go-kit ready with plans on routes to take

* Have three days worth of food and water supplies

* Have a transistor radio with batteries in the event of loss of power and internet connectivity

* Have important papers and information ready to go

PREPARE PROPERTIES FOR FIRE

* Mow the lawn

* Remove grass doormats from front and back doors

* Clear gutters

* Trim overhanging trees

EMERGENCY FIRE FIGHTING ASSISTANCE

* 66 aircraft on standby to help in aerial firefighting, stationed around Ballarat and Halls Gap areas

* Large air tanker placed at Avalon and Blackhawk helicopter placed at Essendon

* Aircraft placed along the northern Victoria border and a large air tanker in Adelaide are on standby for support

* 105 firefighters from NSW, which includes five strike teams and 25 fire trucks, positioned in Ballarat and Ballan

* Incident management team from NSW to be stationed in Halls Gap