Australia's military has been called in to help with evacuations in devastated areas of Victoria's East Gippsland, with dozens of properties razed and four people still missing.
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Defence force fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and naval vessels will be deployed to the state to help with bushfire evacuations in the region, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds confirmed on Tuesday.
Black Hawk helicopters, an Airbus MRH90 chopper and an a fixed-wing C27J plane all have been deployed.
Naval vessels including the HMAS Choules are en route and the MV Sycamore is also expected to be off the East Gippsland coast in the next 48 hours.
The aircraft are expected to help with evacuations and moving fire crews around Victoria.
The news comes after Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said up to 40 military personnel will help assess the fire damage from Wednesday.
He also said the fire risk in the state remained "dynamic" and up to 15 fires had started after lightning strikes in Victoria.
But there had also been "relatively good news" for the small communities of Mallacoota and Corryong in the state's east after a wind change meant the worst of the blazes passed them.
"The wind change has gone through and it is now bypassed that town," Country Fire Authority chief officer Steve Warrington said of Mallacoota.
"I understand there was a public cheer down at the jetty when that was announced."
Lakes Entrance has also been gifted some relief, as safety assessments have allowed the Princes Highway to re-open between Bairnsdale and Lake Tyers Beach Road to allow people to leave the area.
The Princes Highway is still closed between Lake Tyers Beach Road and the NSW border.
The wind change also helped firefighters battling a blaze in the northeast Victoria-NSW border at Corryong.
But he confirmed there were property losses on the outskirts of the townships, despite the good news.
He added there was still a "high degree of anxiety" felt by the Corryong community and the town remains surrounded by fire.
The state government also announced a bushfire response task force it vows will avoid red tape in dealing with fallout from the blazes.
The developments come after lightning sparked more than a dozen new blazes in Victoria's alpine region on Tuesday.
More than 20 bushfires are now burning across Victoria, with flames ripping through more than 400,000 hectares in East Gippsland.
Requests for 70 firefighters have also been made to Canada and the United States.
Four people remain missing in the fires, with Premier Daniel Andrews earlier confirming they are not firefighters.
"We do have very real fears for their safety," Mr Andrews told reporters.
State cabinet's security and emergencies management committee met on Tuesday afternoon and established the bushfire response and recovery task force, to be led by Mr Crisp.
Victorian Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said the task force was aimed at ensuring "no barriers, no red tape, no bureaucracy" get in the way of meeting immediate needs and a broader response.
Authorities have started the process of assessing how many properties have been destroyed by the fires.
So far, 19 structures have been confirmed destroyed in Sarsfield and 24 in Buchan.
Victorian Education Minister James Merlino has confirmed Clifton Creek Primary School in East Gippsland has been destroyed by fire.
Thousands of people are seeking support at about a dozen relief centres in the state.
Milder weather is expected in East Gippsland in the next few days, but Mr Crisp said people could not relax.
"Everyone needs to remain vigilant," he said.
Australian Associated Press
