Loading Mr Crisp said Victoria had already had just over 2000 bush, scrub and grass fires so far this summer, and Saturday saw about 40 burning.

"Part of the reason for the declaration of the [total fire ban] is because we do have so many fires going at the moment and we know that we can't afford to have too many more fires across the landscape," he said. The Bureau of Meteorology's Richard Russell said fire danger would be severe across the Mallee, Wimmera, South West and Central districts. He said northerly winds would increase throughout the morning.

A south-westerly change on Sunday afternoon would see temperatures drop by about 15 degrees between 4pm and 6pm in western Victoria and central Melbourne. However, residents in north-east Victoria would suffer through the heat until Monday afternoon. "These conditions follow what we saw as the warmest January on record for Victoria and one of the driest we've seen for a long time," Mr Russell said. Thunderstorms across eastern parts of Victoria ahead of Sunday could also ignite more fires, with lighting but little rain expected.

The warning came as the CFA battled eight major fires across Victoria on Saturday, mostly in the south-east of the state. "This is a consolidation day, we're likely to see some stronger winds and we want to hold these fires as best we can," Mr Crisp said on Saturday afternoon. CFA chief officer Steve Warrington said the predicted heat and wind meant Sunday was an extremely concerning day for Victoria. State Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp has warned of a higher bushfire risk across Victoria on Sunday. Credit:Nicole Precel "Part of the reason for the [ban] is that we do have so many fires going at the moment. We can't afford to have too many more fires across the state of Victoria," Mr Warrington said.

"We already have significant fires in the landscape, and any additional fires that start tomorrow could be difficult to control. "Emergency services have been preparing for tomorrow, while continuing to managing fires already impacting communities." As with the deadly Black Saturday fires, which occurred 10 years ago on Thursday, firefighters might not be able to get to everyone who needed assistance, Mr Warrington said, which meant people needed to be prepared. "As we move closer to the anniversary of Black Saturday, the reality is 173 people passed away, 2000 homes [were lost] on that terrible day," he said. "We only had 650 trucks going to every fire in the state... People need to do the maths here: 2000 homes, 600 trucks.

"Essentially we will do what we can with some of the most professional, battle-hardened firefighters the world has got, but now it's up to the community. The decisions you make on any given day will determine, particularly tomorrow, whether you live or die. "Now that’s quite stark, I get that, but the reality is tomorrow is a really concerning day for us." Mr Warrington asked people to heed the total fire ban and understand it is illegal to light a fire or allow a fire to remain lit in the open air during the ban. He also encouraged Victorians to download the VicEmergency app, tune into radio for updates, and plan ahead, including going over their fire plan. For more information visit emergency.vic.gov.au, call the Vic Emergency hotline on 1800 226 226 or follow @VicEmergency on social media.