FIRE DANGER RATINGS
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* Catastrophic fire danger rating for Wimmera district, towards Victoria's border with South Australia, including Horsham, Stawell and Warracknabeal
* Extreme fire danger for Mallee, South West, Central, North Central and Northern Country districts
* Peak fire conditions expected later on Wednesday through to midnight and homes are not designed to withstand those conditions
* Half of Victoria is facing high fire danger rating
TOTAL FIRE BANS
* Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central and Central
* No fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air on Wednesday from 12.01am until 11.59pm
FORECASTED TEMPERATURES
* Temperatures expected to reach mid-40C in northwestern Victoria
* Many parts of the state expected to reach high 30C
* Wind gusts of between 30-40km/h to reach 60-80km/h on Wednesday afternoon
* Dry lightning expected through large parts of Victoria
ADVICE FOR THOSE NEAR BAYINDEEN FIRE
* Rocky Road fire near Beaufort has burned more than 21,000ha
* Beaufort, Elmhurst, Amphitheatre, Lexton, Learmonth and Clunes continue to face heightened fire risk
* Fire remains active and is expected to run again on Wednesday heading south but can swing around with wind changes
* Fires, spot fires and ember attacks resulting in loss of homes, road closures and isolated communities
* People urged to leave on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning
* About 30,000 people living in the area will receive emergency alerts on their mobile phones urging them to leave
* Vulnerable communities, including aged care, have already moved out of danger areas
*Two emergency relief centres operating in Maryborough and Ararat
ADVICE FOR THOSE IN THE WIMMERA
* Activate fire plan and prepare to leave
* Go to regional cities or Melbourne and stay with family and friends
* Organise accommodation outside of area or take caravan away
* Grampians National Park, the Wild State Forest and the Little Desert National Park closed because of catastrophic fire rating
* Steer clear of public land on Wednesday
ADVICE FOR CENTRAL DISTRICT
* Grass fires are the main risk
* Melbourne's outskirts, including western and northern suburbs, at risk of fast-moving grass fires
FOR THOSE PLANNING TO LEAVE
* People living in catastrophic and extreme bushfire risk areas asked to leave and to leave early on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning before lunchtime
* Have bushfire go-kit ready with plans on routes to take
* Have three days worth of food and water supplies
* Have a transistor radio with batteries in the event of loss of power and internet connectivity
* Have important papers and information ready to go
PREPARE PROPERTIES FOR FIRE
* Mow the lawn
* Remove grass doormats from front and back doors
* Clear gutters
* Trim overhanging trees
EMERGENCY FIRE FIGHTING ASSISTANCE
* 66 aircraft on standby to help in aerial firefighting, stationed around Ballarat and Halls Gap areas
* Large air tanker placed at Avalon and Blackhawk helicopter placed at Essendon
* Aircraft placed along the northern Victoria border and a large air tanker in Adelaide are on standby for support
* 105 firefighters from NSW, which includes five strike teams and 25 fire trucks, positioned in Ballarat and Ballan
* Incident management team from NSW to be stationed in Halls Gap
Australian Associated Press
