Victoria bushfires: Three people missing, at least 20 homes lost as multiple fierce fires rage on

Three people are missing, a firefighter has been hospitalised and dozens of properties have been lost, as Victoria continues to battle multiple fierce bushfires.

Several emergency warnings are in place, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning there were more than 40 fires burning statewide, including two deemed extremely dangerous as temperatures soared to 45 degrees in some parts of the state.

SA, WA and NSW are on high alert as they swelter through searing temperatures, and a severe storm is tracking towards Queensland with the potential to make landfall as a cyclone. Hundreds of Victorian firefighters are battling blazes at Longwood, southwest of Euroa, and Walwa near Albury-Wodonga on the NSW border.

Many people who fought the blazes or managed to escape the ferocity of the flames said it was the “worst” fire they had ever seen and looked like a “bomb” had gone off.

A man, woman and child — who were last seen in front of a now-destroyed home in the Longwood fire 150km north of Melbourne — remain unaccounted for.

The trio had been advised by Country Fire Authorities on Thursday that they needed to take shelter as it was too late for them to leave safely.

“Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives reattended that area to see the house that they saw those three people standing in front of had been completely destroyed,” Victoria Police deputy commissioner Bob Hill said.

“Those three people remain unaccounted for. Those three people, we do not know at this point of time where they may be.

“That particular area in Longwood East where that house has been destroyed is still a hot spot, and we’re yet to be able to put the strike teams from the fire service into that area to conduct an assessment for us.”

Incredible images show one resident trying to fight the raging Longwood inferno consuming his property from the back of ute in the town of Yarck, above.

Residents in the path of the Longwood fire ran for their lives before returning to find their homes destroyed.

“I ran away with no clothes, no shoes,” Longwood East resident Ali McIvor said.

“I’ve got a couple of things but you just get away fast and don’t think of it.

“I did plan but my plan was not connected to with what actually happened.

“I had stuff packed and then I just left it.”

Strathbogie Shire deputy mayor Claire Ewart-Kennedy said the fire is a “beast — do not try and outrun it, do not try and dictate it, don’t try and predict it because it will beat you every day of the week”.

“It frightens the living daylights out of me,” she said.

7NEWS reporter Paul Dowsley, in Longwood, said it was a mix of “devastation, frustration and shock” from locals who had crossed their fingers and hoped their homes would be spared.

“We’ve seen homes lost at Longwood East,” he said.

He said a school and general store are feared destroyed too. Almost 85,000 hectares have been scorched.

“The wind is changing directions. It’s expected to change several times as we go into the afternoon and the evening from a north-westerly to a westerly, then back to a southerly,” Dowsley said.

Authorities have been pleading for residents to resist any temptation to try to defend their homes.

Premier Jacinta Allen urged residents to not second-guess official advice or wait for conditions to worsen.

“For those who might be thinking that they can stay and defend in these conditions – don’t,” she warned.

“It’s dangerous, it’s not courageous. It puts your life and also to the lives of the emergency services at risk as well.

“And if you know someone who might be thinking they can stay and fight these fires, please tell them this plainly to not do so, because we have seen in recent history how fires … overwhelm people, equipment and any preparation you thought you may have made, you will not win simply against the fires of these magnitudes.”

Emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch said residents’ failure to evacuate from impacted areas “could result in your life being lost”.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan confirmed a firefighter had been hospitalised fighting the Longwood blaze in Ruffy, leaving them with “significant” third degree burns to their hand.

Images from the fire have revealed how entire buildings were engulfed in flames.

The Ruffy Recreation Centre, previously a primary school, became a fireball on Friday.

The town’s community centre is now just a pile of smoking rubble.

While an official count of the buildings was not yet available due to ongoing danger, Ruffy CFA community safety officer Felicity Sloman said on Friday that at least 20 had been destroyed.

“We know everybody is thinking about us and we’re really keen for people to just stay put until it’s safe to come up, and then we’re going to need a lot of help,” she told ABC News.

“We don’t know how many properties we’ve lost because communications are down, but it’s minimum 20, I would say.”

The town has been “impacted severely” by the fire, according to CFA captain for the town George Noye.

“The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off,” he told ABC.

“We’ve lost a school. The CFA shed’s still standing.

“At the moment, even to get around the roads is … dangerous and hazardous.”

Meteorologist Sarah Scully said temperatures across Victoria had risen past 40C and damaging wind gusts about 90km/h had hit the state.

“Any fires ongoing or are ignited within this area will spread very quickly and be difficult to control or unable to be controlled,” she said.

“It’s a very hot day that’s contributing to these fire dangers, with maximum temperatures in the low to mid 40s.”

Ms Scully damaging wind gusts with severe storms could create “really erratic fire behaviour”.

She said heatwave conditions, increased fuel load, dry lightning and wind change were all contributing to the dangerous fire conditions.

“Wind changes are notoriously difficult to fight fires in and create really erratic fire behaviour, but we have those damaging wind gusts as well,” she said.

Meanwhile, community social media pages have been flooded with requests for updates from loved ones after residents caught up in the fire failed to reach out.

One post revealed an elderly farmer had decided to stay at his property and was unable to be contacted.

“He is 84 now. He is on the farm on his own protecting our property and we cannot communicate with him. No working mobile and no way to get to him,” his family wrote.

Requests for information about pets who have gone missing in the chaos, including dogs, horses and bulls, have also been spotted.

Good Samaritans have also opened up their paddocks to people wishing to drop off horses and other livestock.

The federal and Victorian governments have also announced snap emergency relief to support households affected.

The assistance includes a one-off payment of $680 per adult and $340 per child to help cover the costs of essentials.

“This event in Victoria and what we will experience in New South Wales (and) in the ACT comes six years after the Black Summer bushfire,” Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said.

“There are many community members out there who were in the impacted area last time that will be in this range of concerns, so our thoughts are with all of those communities.

“It is a difficult and traumatic experience to go through.”

Authorities have revealed that about 30,000 Victorian properties have been left without power. s crews manage to contain bushfire emergencies across the state.

“The focus very much is, and we mustn’t forget this though, in terms of the power outages, is that when it is safe to do so, the power companies are ready,” said National Emergency Management Agency coordinator general Brendan Moon.

“They have pre-deployed staff who are ready to reinstall power to individual areas and also to consumers.

“But that will not happen until it is safe to do so because our focus very much is keeping people safe during this particular event.”

With 7NEWS