Ballarat City Fire Brigade senior station officer Jarrod Howlett was one of the tanker crew leaders that headed down to the Mount Mercer blaze.

He said on Saturday morning the fire burned through crop fields as it headed south along the Yarrowee River, occasionally crossing over to the opposite bank.

Several aircraft and strike teams were involved, as well as private firefighting units.

"It was a mix of crop and pasture, there were a lot of rock hazards that made it difficult to access," he said.

Crews from across the district attended the fire, which is still burning, however warnings have been downgraded to Advice.

Coopers Road remains closed.

The Mount Lonarch fire which threatened Lexton is still burning, and a community meeting has been announced at 12.30pm at the Miners Rest fire station, with a free barbecue from noon.

UPDATE 6.30am

The warning for the Mt Lonarch fire that threatened Lexton has been reduced to a watch and act alert after firefighters battled it through the night.

But the blaze, fanned by southerly winds continues to be active having now burned through more than 2026 hectares.

The long side of the fire which was driven to the south -est yesterday afternoon has now spread across the Lexton -Ararat Road and burnt out large parts of farmland to the north.

The scale of the damage is not yet known but dozens of crews remain at the five kilometre front attempting to douse the blaze.

The Sunraysia Highway is now open.

The CFA issued an update at 6.30 saying all residents on the east side of the following intersections are now safe to return to their properties.

These intersections are manned and no access will be granted to anyone on the west side of these intersections

But there is an active fire on the eastern edge of the burnt out area, approximately 2 kms west of Lexton, near Rifle Range Rd.

The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been cancelled and more favourable weather conditions have enabled firecrews to utilise heavy machinery to construct containment lines.

The CFA advises that leaving is still the safest option and that conditions may change and get worse very quickly.

Emergency Services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.

People who have currently left the area should not return until advised to do so.

Relief centres are open at the

UPDATE 12.30am

Small amounts of rain dropping as the cool front crosses western Victoria may help the battle against the Mt Lonarch blaze but firefighters remain worried about gusting winds and possible lightning strikes.

Less than a millimetre had fallen on nearby Ben Nevis at 12.30pm with hopes similar falls might slow the 850 hectare blaze approaching Lexton.

But Evacuate Now warnings from the CFA remained in place after midnight as fire authorities encouraged residents of Lexton and nearby communities to head to Learmonth

Update 11.30PM

The small village of Ampitheatre has now been added to the emergency warnings as the Mt Lonarch fires continue to head in a north-easterly direction.

The fire has also jumped the Lexton to Ararat Road where it is burning in another patch of farmland.

The fire has so far burnt out 835 hectares of farmland and forest with damage to property yet unknown.

The towns of Lexton and other smaller localities remain under serious threat as more than fifty fire crews battle the blaze.

The warnings remain at Evacuate Now level

The site of January's Rainbow Serpent Festival was earlier crossed by fire as it descended from the Granite Hill State Reserve.

UPDATE 11 PM: Lexton has been encouraged to evacuate as the Mt Lonarch fire bears down on the township.

The bushfire at Mt Lonarch that is not yet under control and is travelling in a north-easterly direction towards Lexton.

Winds shifted to the south at dusk and dropped but gusts are still reaching 20km/h fanning the blaze.

The fire that hot north westerlies had driven in a long strip and fire fighters managed to hold at the Lexton Beaufort Road, has now spread to the east.

In effect the five kilomtere long side of the fire has become the front and is moving out of the Ben Major State Forest and into farmland and more populous areas.

CFA alerts warned that the fire could impact Lexton within the next three hours.

It has also recommended evacuees travel south east along towards Learmonth via the Sunraysia Highway to find a safer place.

Options include:

If you are In the car:

If you are unable to leave you should seek shelter inside:

UPDATE 10PM: The Mt Lonarch bushfire has now changed direction after the wind change causing it to cross the Lexton Ararat road and head in a north-easterly towards Fishers Rd and Yalong Rd.

The expected south westerly wind change came through at dusk and has caused the fire to move towards Lexton.

The CFA has escalated its warning saying the fire now threatens homes and lives and all residents in the area needed to act immediately to survive.

The safest option was to take shelter indoors and declared too late to leave.

UPDATE: 9pm: The CFA has issued a Watch & Act for Beaufort, Ercildoune, Langi Kal Kal, Trawalla, Waterloo, Chute.

Don't wait, leaving now is the safest option - conditions may change and get worse very quickly. Emergency Services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.

What you should do:

If the situation changes or you feel unsafe you should leave:

Emergency Services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.

Impacts in your area:

Road closures are currently in place and people should avoid the area.

People who are currently out of the area should not return.

Check the VicTraffic website (traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/) or call 13 11 70 for road closures.

There is a Neighbourhood Safer Place at:

Toll Bar Recreation Reserve Williamson Street (between Sunraysia Highway & Skene Street) Lexton.

A Neighbourhood Safer Place, also known as a Bushfire Place of Last Resort, is for when all other bushfire plans have failed and only if it is nearby. They do not guarantee safety but may offer some protection from flame and heat. Travelling to a Neighbourhood Safer Place can be dangerous.

UPDATE 7.20pm: The CFA has just issued a Watch & Act message for Beaufort, Ercildoune, Langi Kal Kal, Trawalla, Waterloo, Chute as follows:

An advice warning has been issued for the Midland Highway including Meredith and Lethbridge which may be impacted by smoke from the Mount Mercer blaze.

UPDATE 6.30pm: The CFA says the fire burning near Lexton remains out of control, with firefighters now preparing for a wind change later in the evening.

The CFA has just issued this warning.

The fire has just jumped the Beaufort-Lexton Road

There are 42 tankers currently on site with the Lexton township remaining under threat if the fire is not able to be brought under control before the change hits.

The Bureau of Meteorology says at this stage the wind change is expected between 9pm and 10pm.

The Bureau has confirmed Ballarat's top temperature of 41.6 degrees is the hottest day ever recorded in December.

The Mount Mercer blaze also remains out of control with firefighters also preparing for the change in conditions. It has so far burned through 10 hectares and is still growing.

UPDATE, 5.55PM: The CFA has confirmed that 10 vehicles are on the scene of the fire near Lexton, with another 26 en-route to the scene.

At this stage, the fast moving fire is not under control and could potentially impact sites including the Lexton township, the Beaufort-Lexton Road and possibly the Rainbow Serpent festival site.

The fire has burnt at least 250 hectares.

Relief centres have been set up at both the Avoca Football Club and Learmonth Football Clubs for people wishing to evacuate the area.

SEE ALL THE BUSHFIRE SAFETY INFORMATION HERE.

Meanwhile, the earlier fire at Mount Mercer also remains out of the control and with an emergency warning current.

That fire has jumped Gundies Road and is travelling fast in a south-easterly direction.

The emergency warning is current for towns including Shelford and Teesdale.

EARLIER: An emergency warning has been issued for a fire burning out of control near Lexton.

Residents have been told it is too late to leave and to take shelter.

The fire is burning along at Lexton-Ararat Rd, Amphitheatre and is not yet under control.

The Courier has spoken to an employee at the Pyrenees Hotel in Lexton, who said there was a lot of smoke in the area.

As of 5.20pm, there were people mulling around and they were unsure whether to leave or stay and were waiting on further correspondence.

The temperature was 40.1 degrees at nearby Beaufort at 5.20pm.

The size of the fire has now affected the air quality in Ballarat, with the smoke being blown by strong north-westerly winds.

A smoke warning has also been issued for Beaufort and Trawalla.

The Emergency Warning is being issued for Amphitheatre, Burnbank, Chute, Glenbrae, Langi Kal Kal, Lexton, Mount Lonarch, Raglan, Waterloo, Waubra.

This Emergency Warning replaces the previous Advice message.

The grassfire is travelling in a south easterly direction towards Ben Major Forest.

What you should do:

Impacts in your area:

MEANWHILE, an emergency warning has also been issued for a blaze raging in Mount Mercer.

Fire crews were called to the grass and scrub fire around 4pm on Friday at the corner of Shelford-Mt Mercer Road and Grahams Road.

As of 4.50pm, 22 units had been deployed to the incident, which is believed to be around 20 acres in size and traveling in a southerly direction.

This Emergency Warning is being issued for Bamganie, Lethbridge, Meredith, Shelford, Teesdale.

The grassfire is travelling from Grahams Road in a south-easterly direction towards Shelford and Teesdale.

Firefighters have been unable to stop the fire and it has crossed Gundies Road and is moving towards Shelford and Teesdale.

Do not get in the car and drive. It is safer to stay where you are.