Ballarat was “not far off” a total fire ban with bans in place for for the Mallee, Wimmera and North Central districts, District 15 duty officer Kade Dowie said. 

Conditions are expected to be the hottest and driest so far this fire season with the potential for fast-moving grass and forest fires.

A spate of deliberately lit fires in Ballarat and surrounds has prompted the CFA to reiterate calls for vigilance.

“The message is to the members of the public to be vigilant and note down anything they see as suspicious,” Mr Dowie said.

“We have had some minor deliberately lit grass fires across Ballarat over the summer period so far and over previous summer periods there has been a spate as well.”

Mr Dowie said the CFA were equally wary of day-to-day activities which could spark a fire.

“We really need people to delay those activities if they can, we are on the higher end of our normal fire predicted behaviour, we’re not too far off being a total fire ban here.”

CFA Chief Officer Steve Warrington said emergency services were on high alert and particularly focussed on the north of the state.

“We’ve had a spate of grass fires in a number of areas, which have been challenging for firefighters given the high amount of grass and scrub growth,” Mr Warrington said.

“Northern areas like Mildura have been experiencing hot and dry conditions, which increases the risk of fire. Tomorrow, across the state, there is potential for fast-moving grass and forest fires.

Temperatures are expected to climb to 35 degrees in Ballarat with winds of up to 30 km/hr. 

A severe warning has been issued for the South West and North Central districts.

The rest of the state has been issued with a very high danger warning.