Many holidaymakers and residents are choosing to stay in East Gippsland despite emergency services urging everyone in the area to leave before conditions escalate on Monday.

Key points: An estimated 30,000 holidaymakers have been told to leave East Gippsland

An estimated 30,000 holidaymakers have been told to leave East Gippsland Authorities said fires could close the Princes Highway on Monday, trapping people who do not leave the area Sunday

Authorities said fires could close the Princes Highway on Monday, trapping people who do not leave the area Sunday For the latest emergency information, visit the Vic Emergency website

Three significant fires are burning in the forest in East Gippsland near Bruthen, Buchan and Bonang, and emergency services say it is likely these fires will grow in size on Monday, impacting communities and potentially crossing the Princes Highway.

An estimated 30,000 people are currently holidaying in the threatened area, which includes popular summer destinations such as Lakes Entrance.

"If you're planning on visiting East Gippsland today or Monday, don't do it," Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said.

"If you're already visiting East Gippsland, you need to leave the area today.

"If you live in East Gippsland, you need to move to safer locations."

Conflicting information

Arthur Chapman lives at the Riverside Caravan Park in Bairnsdale in East Gippsland and said he was not tempted to leave.

Mr Chapman said the current Vic Emergency map showing the evacuation area did not include Bairnsdale and leaving would add more stress to already packed roads.

"East Gippsland incorporates a massive area. If you self-evacuate, the Princes Highway with 40,000 cars on there — no chance. That's just chaos, that's accidents waiting to happen, emergency services couldn't keep up."

Mr Chapman said he was "safe at the moment" and would take a watch and act approach for the next few days.

"It would be catastrophic if it reaches Bairnsdale and goes through it, unlikely though."

Meanwhile, people on holiday in Lakes Entrance have taken to Twitter and Facebook to voice their confusion over what to do.

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ABC journalist Freya Michie is on holiday in Lakes Entrance and said the coastal town was still "packed" despite the warnings.

"Locals don't seem too concerned," she said.

Some holiday-makers in Lakes Entrance are still on the beach after being told to evacuate hours ago. ( ABC News: Freya Michie )

A petrol station attendant in the town said he had a day off on Monday and was looking forward to spending it inside his Lakes Entrance house with his dog and keeping the air conditioner on.

One woman said in a tweet that staff at her motel told her "it will be fine".

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Closure of Princes Highway would cut everyone off

With the Great Alpine and Bonang roads already shut due to nearby bushfires, the closure of the Princes Highway would cut off the last remaining major road out of the region.

"There's not too many ways in and out of the state," Mr Crisp said.

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"It is important that you now think very, very seriously about leaving.

"It is not possible to provide support and aid to all the visitors currently in the East Gippsland region, and if the Princes Highway is impacted, you may not be able to leave for some time.

"There's not enough trucks to go around, so don't count on a fire truck protecting your particular house. You need to get out of there."

Police and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said authorities were encouraging people to leave on Sunday to prevent chaos on Monday.

"We don't want to see people panic tomorrow. We want people to heed the warnings early," Ms Neville said.

"30,000 people on the road is not good for anyone.''

The three East Gippsland fires have burnt more than 100,000 hectares since starting on November 21.

Authorities are encouraging people to leave East Gippsland to avoid panic and chaos tomorrow. ( Facebook: Vic Emergency )

Authorities are also warning of the risk of new fires being ignited by lightning strikes in dry, drought-affected forests.

The danger area stretches from Omeo in the high country to Bonang, all the way south to the coast, from east of Bairnsdale to Cann River.

Late on Sunday afternoon, authorities issued emergency warnings for two fires burning in East Gippsland.

Just before 5:00pm, an emergency warning was issued for the communities of Amboyne, Bonang, Cabanandra, Deddick Valley, Dellicknora and Tubbut, which were being threatened by a fire burning 13 km east of Goongerah.

The blaze was threatening homes and lives, with the large fire column creating lightning in the area and multiple spot fires starting ahead of the main fire front.

Shortly before 4:00pm, authorities issued an emergency warning for an out-of-control fire at Wingan River, 28 kilometres east of Cann River.

The fire is travelling in a north-westerly direction towards the Princes Highway.

"Leaving now is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous," the warning said. "Emergency Services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay."

On Sunday morning, authorities reissued an evacuation warning for the communities of Goongerah and Martins Creek, which were expected to be impacted by another fire in the next 24 hours.

An estimated 34 families live in the area, about eight of which have already evacuated.

The fire danger for Monday is rated as extreme in the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Central, North Central and Northern Country districts, and severe for East Gippsland and the North East.

A total fire ban has been declared for the entire state.

Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said holidaymakers should leave East Gippsland. ( ABC News: Sarah Maunder )

'It's a very serious, life-threatening situation, make no mistake'

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Kevin Parkyn said Monday was "likely to be a significant fire weather day in Victoria's history", with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius across much of the state, including in East Gippsland.

"We've had a scorching December, particularly across northern Victoria," he said.

"We're in a heatwave at the moment, some parts of the state are in extreme heatwave conditions.

"Monday will be hottest day in the current heatwave sequence."

A fire near Bruthen is among a number of blazes that have been burning in East Gippsland for several weeks. ( Supplied: Michael Airey )

He said conditions would be made more dangerous by a wind change which would move across the state Monday afternoon and evening, and across the East Gippsland firegrounds shortly before midnight.

"The wind change is very problematic … because it lights up the whole flanks of fires very quickly," Mr Parkyn said.

"It's a very serious, life-threatening situation, make no mistake."

He said the mercury was expected to soar to 44C in Mildura and Swan Hill, and 43C in Melbourne.

"If we do see 40C breached in Melbourne, that will be the third time this month, and we haven't seen those sort of temperatures for three days in December in Melbourne since 1897. So it's been a long time," he said.

Earlier, organisers of the Falls Music and Arts Festival cancelled the rest of the event, which was to run until New Year's Day, citing forecast extreme weather conditions and bushfire risk.