UPDATE: FIREFIGHTERS have stopped the head of the 3500 grassfire burning in the Moyston area, west of Ararat.

A downgraded Watch and Act message has been issued for Moyston, Rocky Point and Willaura North.

Residents are used to remain close to shelter in case conditions change suddenly.

Firefighters bolstered their efforts to battle the Moyston blaze, with 61 trucks and 9 aircraft now responding.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen a man, in his 50s, suffering from smoke inhalation was being treated by paramedics at the Moyston Primary School staging area.

The fire is travelling in a south-easterly direction, fanned by strong northerly winds, past Moyston located 15km west of Ararat in the high-risk Grampians region.

Residents have been told it’s too late to leave and to take shelter indoors with some receiving emergency text messages.

A community meeting will be held at 7pm at the Alexandra Oval Community Centre in Ararat.

The LAT Large Airtanker fighting the Moyston fire. Shot from the 7news chopper @7NewsMelbourne @CFA_Updates #Moyston pic.twitter.com/ETL5SD1xOR — Will Pristel (@wpristel7) January 2, 2015

The CFA have issued a downgraded Advice message to residents of Gre Gre and St Arnaud, with communities no longer under threat by a separate blaze.

“Firefighters have stopped the spread of the grassfire at the intersection of Sunraysia Highway and McKays Rd. Firefighters will continue to work the fire,” the alert reads.

The fire is not yet under control.

Road closures are being put in place and include: Ararat and Halls Gap Rd near the Rhymney intersection, Ararat and Halls Gap Rd at Pomonal, Moyston Willaura Rd, Moyston Great Western Rd and Moyston Dunkeld Rd.

Ararat Relief Centre is located at the Ararat Town Hall at the corner of Barkly and Vincent Sts.

A State Control Centre spokeswoman said the large fire was first reported at 11.50am and quickly spread.

It has grown from 100ha when first reported to 1750ha in less than three hours.

Road closures are being put in place and include: Ararat and Halls Gap Road near the Rhymney intersection, Moyston Willaura Road, Moyston Great Western Road and Moyston Dunkeld Road.

The CFA have also issued a Watch and Act alert for residents in Rocky Point, Cathcart, Denicull Creek, Maroona and Langi Logan, urging them to flee now as conditions may worsen.

The fire is predicted to move east towards these areas after the forecast wind change later this evening.

“Don’t wait, leaving now is the safest option,” the alert reads.

BE FIRE READY

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

The CFA has more than 50 water aircraft on standby and hundreds of fighters at the ready with temperatures of 39C expected today and 43C tomorrow across the state.

Extreme alerts will be issued in the state’s southwest from today, with the heat creeping towards 40C in Hamilton and Colac.

UPDATE: Emergency Warning remains in place for Moyston, with residents urged to take shelter indoors #VicFires #9News pic.twitter.com/5hzKqjitl9 — Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) January 2, 2015

Pic of the #moyston fire from my father in laws place pic.twitter.com/8kK7KzvdxW — Gareth Olver (@GBO26) January 2, 2015

Moyston 1:54pm RT @allclasschris: Photo of bushfire threatening the town of #moyston in western Victoria pic.twitter.com/XzGqIfEhoM — Incident Alert-VicSA (@incident_alert) January 2, 2015

The warnings will be extended to the north central district tomorrow, including Mildura, Swan Hill and Horsham which can expect highs of 43C and winds up to 40km/h.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said today that warnings could be sent to Victorians in the early hours of Saturday morning as firefighters expect hot overnight temperatures to create extreme fire danger conditions.

He warned that Victoria would wake up tomorrow with extreme fire danger ratings in five weather districts, but said firefighters were on top of the situation so far.

He said potentially dangerous wind changes would hit the state tomorrow morning.

“A lot of people think of fire in the afternoon. We’ve got the scenario now ... if we’ve got fires, they will run in the night and into tomorrow morning,” he told 3AW today.

“In the southwest of the state the critical time will be tomorrow morning in the sense that it is going to be extremely dry.”

Total fire bans have been declared in eight of the state’s nine districts.

According to the CFA, high-risk areas include; Ararat, Warrnambool, Corangamite and the south Grampians.

media_camera The approximate burned area of the Moyston fire. Picture: CFA

However, residents across the state are being urged to be alert with severe warnings issued for the Mallee, the Wimmera, Northern Country and the central districts.

The dangerous conditions across the state come as a woman was arrested over a spate of grass fires in Victoria’s north.

Arson squad detectives arrested a 49-year-old Tatura woman after emergency crews were called to a grass fire in Tatura, near Shepparton, about 3.20am today.

Police are investigating a similar grass fire started about the same time on Tuesday, and there’s been at least 40 other similar fires in Tatura in the past year.

Arson squad Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Eric Harbis said it was lucky no one’s been hurt or property damaged.

“As we head into the higher temperatures this weekend, we are really calling on members of the community to be vigilant and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity with regards to fires,” he said.

“These acts can devastate communities so if you see something, say something.”

Authorities are also appealing to parents and pet owners to not leave children or animals in cars in severe heat.

CFA state control centre spokeswoman Sophie Griffin said temperatures could become deadly inside a car within minutes.

“Hot cars can kill,’’ she said.

“Do not leave anyone in a parked car, even for a few minutes. There are no excuses and no exceptions.’’

Figures from Ambulance Victoria showed emergency crews responded to more than 20 call-outs a week for children as young as six left in unattended cars. In 2013, 39 children were affected so badly they were taken to hospital.

Tests by Ambulance Victoria show outside temperatures of 29C would mean 44C inside a car within 10 minutes and 60C within 20 minutes.

With temperatures expected to peak at higher than 40C in the coming days, children and animals could suffer irreparable damage within minutes.

Police said parents found guilty could be imprisoned for three months under the Crimes Act.

alex.white@news.com.au