Pre-dawn fire threat for eastern Victoria

VICTORIA'S two largest bushfires burning in rugged parts of the state's east could deliver their greatest threat under the cover of darkness.

Warm temperatures and very strong winds forecast before dawn on Friday (AEDT) are expected to spur on the two fires, which are burning in the state's alpine area and the Gippsland region, east of Melbourne.

Residents in the alpine towns of Hotham Heights and Harrietville were urged to activate their fire plans and leave before Thursday evening, but only if it was still safe to do so.

The fire threatening Gippsland towns, which has already killed one man, destroyed 22 homes and burned through 67,000 hectares, is expected again to cause trouble on Friday.

Lee Miezis at the State Control Centre said the fires could do damage in a number of towns, including Heyfield, Toongabbie and Maffra, and crews were particularly worried about the Erica and Briagolong communities.

"We're potentially looking at quite broad impacts from this fire," Mr Miezis told AAP.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said winds would reach their peak at around 5am (AEDT) on Friday, before changing direction later in the day.

"The southwesterly change is not expected to reach the Gippsland coast until around 2pm and later further inland from the coast," she told AAP.

A total fire ban has been declared for the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, North Country, Central, North Central and West and South Gippsland fire districts.

Heyfield incident controller Dennis Matthews said crews were preparing to fight fires during the night, which could prove difficult.

"We will have a potential run of fire in hours of darkness," he told reporters.

"During the night we can't water bomb. Darkness stops all that."

Mr Matthews said the fire's immense front was intimidating.

"We're dealing with a fire that's grown really quickly," he said.

"There's 200km of edge here, particularly the southern part of that, the bottom edge which might be 100km, 80km."

Leigh Clarke, who has lived in Glenmaggie for eight years, says many in the area have decided to leave.

"When you have a week like last week, complacency doesn't come into it," she told AAP.

Heyfield resident Traci Grogan, who evacuated her three children to Sale last week because of the same fire, said she was preparing to do the same again.

"It's the uncertainty. It's the anxiety. You don't know what to pack. You don't know if it's coming back," she told AAP.

Last week, the flames came within 15 metres of the Grogans' house, burning out their paddocks.

Mrs Grogan and her husband have watered down their property and moved their animals into a single paddock.

"My husband's prepared to fight any spot fires or embers," she said.

"If it gets a bit hairy, we're out of there."

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu on Thursday announced low-interest loans of up to $200,000 would be available to businesses affected by the fires.

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