Victorian authorities are urging people in the state's declared disaster zones to leave the area, amid fears bushfires could begin to threaten communities by sunrise.

Key points: Erratic winds have led to a number of out-of-control fires in the Alpine region this week

Erratic winds have led to a number of out-of-control fires in the Alpine region this week A state of disaster declaration covers much of East Gippsland, north-eastern Victoria and the Alpine region

A state of disaster declaration covers much of East Gippsland, north-eastern Victoria and the Alpine region For the latest emergency information, visit the Vic Emergency website

Premier Daniel Andrews has extended Victoria's first-ever state of disaster ahead of "significant fire activity" forecast for the next two days as the bushfire crisis continues.

Two evacuate-now warnings and one emergency warning were issued on Thursday evening for areas in the Alps, including Mt Buffalo.

A separate emergency warning was issued for Combienbar, in East Gippsland, for a grassfire threatening homes and the Combienbar Hall.

Bairnsdale incident controller Brett Mitchell said strong north-westerly winds could see the fire threat rise quickly in elevated parts of East Gippsland on Friday.

"The fire danger will be as early as 6:00am, particularly for Omeo and places like that," he said.

"If you don't need to be in East Gippsland tomorrow I suggest that you leave — and the Omeo community, I suggest that you leave now."

Much of the east of the state is covered by the declaration. ( Supplied: Emergency Management Victoria )

Mr Mitchell said an afternoon south-westerly wind change would put communities near the 1,200-kilometres of bushfire perimeter under threat.

He said it was likely Buchan South — which was hit by bushfires last week — would be impacted again.

People who believed they were safe to stay in their community because it had already been hit by fires, were urged to reconsider.

"I would strongly recommend that those people do evacuate, if they're in a high-risk area," Mr Mitchell said.

Premier says state of disaster extension 'will save lives'

Victoria's state of disaster declaration, which gives the state and emergency services additional powers, was put into place last Thursday.

Mr Andrews said the extension was needed to manage what was likely to be a significant increase in bushfire activity over the next 48 hours.

The state of disaster covers East Gippsland, the Alpine region and the state's north-east.

Authorities are urging people to leave the Alpine region and all areas east of Bairnsdale, in East Gippsland.

A Total Fire Ban has been declared for Friday in six of Victoria's nine fire districts, with the fire danger in the Northern Country rated as extreme.

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"This is a really significant challenge for us," Mr Andrews said.

"We don't underestimate it. We don't lightly extend the state of disaster. We have done it because we believe that it will save lives and that, after all, is the most important thing."

Mr Andrews said emergency services would be contacting communities in the fire zones throughout Thursday.

"Those messages will indicate to people that they are in the fire zone and that if they can leave, they should leave, because we will not be able to guarantee their safety," he said.

Authorities said 23 fires were burning across the state this morning.

The huge blazes covering much of the state's east have destroyed at least 244 homes and hundreds more structures, but the full extent of the damage will not be known until assessment teams are able to access remote parts of the state.

The death toll from the fires now sits at three, after authorities confirmed the crash that killed "well-loved" firefighter Mat Kavanagh on Friday was fire-related.

Mat Kavanagh had been putting out unattended campfires on the day he died. ( Supplied: Victorian Government )

Government money starts to flow

Prime Minister Scott Morrison this afternoon announced that Victoria's East Gippsland and Towong councils would be among 42 bushfire-affected local government areas nationally to receive an immediate payment of $1 million.

A further $18 million will be set aside for larger council areas which have experienced the most significant damage.

"These payments will provide immediate assistance directly into the hands of local councils to rebuild roads and infrastructure, employ staff to help in recovery activities and hold events which bring the community together and bring tourists back to town," Mr Morrison said.

The funds will be drawn from the $2 billion allocated to the National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews separately revealed that the State Government had already paid out about 3,800 grants worth a total of $4 million.

"That is how many people are out of their homes for one reason or another," Mr Andrews said. "Some … have lost everything."

Residents urged not to drive on unsafe roads

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said Combienbar, north-east of Orbost, was now the only community considered to be "isolated" and without road access.

Fires trapped Victorians in dozens of small communities after road access was cut and communication was lost, and some communities remain difficult to access.

Authorities are concerned new blazes could start as the weather changes. ( Twitter: Declan Kuch )

In a warning posted on the Vic Emergency website yesterday, authorities begged people to wait until firefighters and the Australian Defence Force could clear roads and mark them as safe before attempting to drive out.

But with nearly 5,000 kilometres of roads to clear, authorities have warned it will take some time before roads are made safe.

"Residents must stop this immediately. It is not safe to drive on these roads until they have been treated for hazardous trees and other damage," the warning said.

A State Control Centre spokesman said the official advice was for residents who are leaving East Gippsland to monitor VicRoads updates, plan a route out of the area and leave when possible to do so safely. But he said no-one should be trying to access closed roads.

Fires growing in the Alpine region

Erratic winds overnight on Wednesday led to a number of out-of-control spot fires from a fire front near Carboor, south-east of Wangaratta.

Authorities said the northern tip of the fire was "extremely active overnight" and warned people to leave the area before conditions became too dangerous.

Carboor resident Nicola Bussell said she evacuated with two of her children at midnight, after her firefighter husband Harry "came racing back" to warn the family.

From their home on a hill, Ms Bussell told ABC Radio Melbourne "you could see that the whole horizon was all glowing" as the fire moved north.

People to the north of the fire were at risk of ember attacks overnight. ( Supplied: Nicola Bussell )

Fire activity has also increased south-east of Lake Buffalo in Mt Buffalo National Park.

There are 140 firefighters in the Alpine region constructing control lines and controlling spot fires ahead of the worsening conditions.

Authorities said no-one should travel to the area.

The historic Spargo's Hut at Hotham Heights has been wrapped to ward off fire damage. ( Supplied: Jon Hutchins )

Corryong residents bury stock and prepare for more fire

In the north-east Victorian town of Corryong, which was hit by a raging bushfire on New Year's Eve, people are being forced to show photo ID and prove they are residents before they are allowed through roadblocks into the town.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 33 seconds 33 s Devastating vision shows dead wildlife and livestock scattered along the road into Batlow, NSW.

The Murray Valley Highway is only open from 7:00am to 8:00pm each day, as authorities deem it is still too dangerous to drive at night, and all other roads into the town are closed.

But the Vic Emergency warning states it is possible those returning to their homes in Corryong "could become isolated and unable to leave the area for extended periods of time due to changing conditions or fire behaviour that may impact the road".

Communities in Corryong have begun burying dead stock with the help of the Defence Force after fire swept through the area on New Year's Eve and last weekend. ( Supplied: Amber Rendell )

Firefighters were able to slow the spread of fire near Corryong with the help of cooler weather and light rainfall on Wednesday.

But fears remain that the temperature rise could see the blaze merge with another large fire near the NSW border.

Farmers have tragically lost hundreds of cattle to the fire and others have been forced to sell stock so the animals did not starve. ( ABC: Matt Roberts )

Community meetings are being held in the north-east to provide updated information about the fire risk.

Staff from Towong Shire Council and the Defence Force are continuing to help farmers remove dead animals from farmland on Thursday in Burrowye, Mt Alfred, Walwa, Pine Mountain, Corryong, Cudgewa, Nariel, Biggara and Tintaldra.

A hole was dug yesterday in Settlement Road, Tintaldra, for the dead animals.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 17 seconds 17 s A bushfire spread rapidly near Walwa last weekend.

Power and communication outages remain

A group of 67 North American firefighters arrived in Melbourne yesterday morning and will start working with local fire crews on Saturday.

Essential supplies continue to be dropped into Mallacoota and other remote communities, including medication, food, fuel for generators, ice and fresh water.

Power outages are still affecting many towns within the fire zone and the blazes have obliterated telecommunications infrastructure.

Almost 3,000 homes had no power as of Thursday night.

Ausnet is working to set up a generator in Walwa to power 70 customers who are currently off-supply and arrived in Cudgewa yesterday to assess damage to main lines.

East Gippsland fires remain out of control

Favourable weather conditions have slowed the spread of fire in East Gippsland, but many are still burning out of control.

The Vic Emergency website said fires in the area had "joined into one large fire" burning through more than 1 million hectares.

Out-of-control bushfires currently burning could grow on Friday when a wind change is expected. ( Facebook: DELWP Gippsland )

On Thursday, fire crews were attempting controlled burns around the coastal communities of Bemm River, Furnell and Tamboon in a bid to protect property ahead of a wind change which is expected to cause problems across the fire grounds on Friday.

Residents from those towns, and nearby Cann River, were isolated for a week after the New Year's Eve blaze.

Those who were escorted out of the area on Tuesday to buy much-needed supplies in Orbost described "a wall of flames" approaching the tiny towns and their shock and relief at surviving.

Mallacoota maritime evacuation ends

HMAS Choules arrived at Hastings Port with over 1,025 evacuees from Mallacoota last weekend. ( News Corp/AAP: Ian Currie )

The last evacuees from the cut-off town of Mallacoota sailed into Western Port Bay onboard the Navy vessel HMAS Choules on Wednesday afternoon.

The coastal town, near the NSW border, was hit by an out-of-control bushfire on New Year's Day that forced thousands to shelter on the foreshore.

HMAS Choules docked near HMAS Cerberus, marking the end of the maritime operation to get more than 1,000 people out of the community.

More than 200 evacuees, along with 66 CFA volunteers, were brought ashore on landing craft to be reunited with friends and family.

Mallacoota remains without power but many locals have opted to stay in the town, which remains completely cut off, as work continues to clear fallen and damaged trees from the only road out of town.