Update: Country Fire Association District 16 commander Ian Morley said it had been a fairly busy day.
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He said there had been a grass fire in Moyston which had been caused by the reignition of a previous burn off from three months ago.
Three tankers responded to the fire but only two were required.
Mr Morley said there had been a small grass fire in Streatham which had been cause by fallen power lines.
"It didn't take too much to control," he said.
He said there had two fires in Skipton that were also caused by previously burnt sites being reignited due to the warm temperature and strong winds.
"People need to continue to monitor burn off sites for days, weeks and months after because any heat on the ground can be drawn to the surface and start a fire, especially heavy fuels like tree stumps," he said.
Earlier: While the wind speeds are picking up across the Wimmera, temperatures are dropping.
Current temperatures (as of 2.10pm) across the Wimmera and Mallee regions:
Hopetoun Airport: 28.7 degrees, with 54 km/h wind speeds
Edenhope: 18.5 degrees, with 30 km/h wind speeds
Horsham: 21.7 degrees, with 52 km/h wind speeds
Kanagulk: 18.3 degrees, with 26 km/h wind speeds
Longerenong: 25.5 degrees, with 41 km/h wind speeds
Nhill Aerodrome: 20.9 degrees, with 44 km/h wind speeds
Stawell: 29.4 degrees, with 17 km/h wind speeds
Warracknabeal Airport: 28.2 degrees, with 50 km/h wind speeds
Ararat (9am): 30 degrees (not updated)
Mt William: 16.5 degrees, with 50 km/h wind speeds
Update: Ararat State Emergency Services controller Gavin Kelly said they had received 57 calls for assistance since this morning from across the Grampians region.
"Our volunteers have been exceedingly busy and they should continue to be for some time," he said.
"Wind change is starting to come through," he said.
A number of trees are down which have been causing traffic issues.
There is building damage to a number of places and loose debris.
Mr Kelly reminded people to secure any loose items such as outdoor furniture, trampolines, etc.
Mr Kelly also reminded residents to monitor the Victorian Emergency site, listen to local media and if travelling be aware of where it is safe and where it isn't, especially in regards to fallen trees.
Harness Victoria: Despite wild winds and hot weather, the Horsham trots are still going ahead.
Heat provisions have been put in place for the event.
"Safety for all participants, human and equine, and staff is our top priority. Based on advice from the CFA and the weather conditions we have cancelled the Echuca meeting," Harness Racing Victoria CEO Dayle Brown said.
"We are closely monitoring the Wimmera region for today's Horsham meeting. Conditions there are not as severe and the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a cool change will reach Horsham around lunchtime. Our first race is scheduled to start at 2.03pm. If the situation changes we will issue immediate alerts through all our channels."
Earlier: WorkSafe Victoria have advised construction sites to ensure loose objects are removed from exposed areas or secured.
Sites with Tower Cranes, where winds are exceeding operational limits, must ensure tower crane operations are suspended & cranes are in weathervane mode.
Be careful out there. The wind is currently picking up in Stawell.
Stawell business Carey Covers has put a warning out to all Wimmera residents to put outdoor blinds up in severe winds to avoid any damage.
We were sent this photo of a tree branch down and across the road at the upper end of Main Street at Stawell.
The Bureau of Meteorology has also advised a cool change has now entered Victoria.
It will move steadily eastward Thursday afternoon. Northerly winds will shift gusty westerly/south westerly with the change.
Damaging winds continue to be a risk near and immediately behind the change, while fire dangers inland will remain elevated.
What you can and can't do on a Total Fire Ban day:
Total Fire Bans are declared by the Country Fire Authority on days when fires are likely to spread rapidly and be difficult to control.
A Total Fire Ban declaration means no fires can be lit for the declared district for that day - irrespective of the Fire Restriction status for a given municipality.
The following restrictions apply in the open air on days of Total Fire Ban and during the Fire Danger Period:
- Barbeque and campfires
- Commercial catering
- Solid fuel barbeque
- Scaring gun
- Burning off
- Driving vehicles where in contact with crops, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation
- Chainsaw and lawn equipment
- Hot Work and bees
- Incinerator
- Farm and road machinery
These should be avoided wherever possible, as the risk of starting fires is extremely high and the impact of fire on these days may be much greater.
Damaging northerly winds, averaging 50 to 60 km/h with peak gusts of 90 to 100 km/h, are expected to develop in western parts of the warning area Thursday morning.
A cooler west to southwesterly change will move through the warning area during Thursday afternoon and evening.
Isolated thunderstorm activity could also produce wind gusts of 110km/h on Thursday.
Parts of Victoria are facing a Code Red fire danger rating on Thursday - the first warning of its type in almost a decade.
Mallee and Northern Country districts have both been labelled as Code Red - the highest warning level.
Emergency Management commissioner Andrew Crisp said if a fire started in the conditions predicted it would be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast-moving.
