Update, 3.16pm. People have been told told to prepare plans to deal with air pollution as smoke is blown across the state from fires.
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A spokesman from Emergency Management Victoria said strong easterly winds had spread smoke across the state creating poor visibility in some areas on Friday.
"The smoke will hang around but a south-west wind change on Saturday morning will contain fires from smoke to the east," he said.
The Environmental Protection Agency said bushfire smoke is a mixture of differently sized particles, water vapour and gases, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Fine particles and gases in bushfire smoke are small enough to be breathed deep into the lungs and can cause health effects.
The Environmental Protection Agency do not have an air quality monitoring site in the Wimmera.
The Mail-Times has contacted the EPA for comment.
Medical supplies for people with breathing difficulties
A spokeswoman from Bunnings said the Horsham store had plenty of smoke masks and water storage containers in stock.
"We have been prioritising getting stock to impacted stores but there are no shortages in Horsham,"
Horsham Amcal pharmacy owner Bianca Inkster said the store had smoke masks on the shelves but that she hadn't noticed an increase in customers purchasing them
"If anything we have probably seen more of our asthma patients getting Ventolin over the past few days," she said.
Mrs Inkster said the pharmacy always carried excess stock of asthma medication and inhalers because the Wimmera was prone to issues with thunderstorm asthma.
Thunderstorm asthma could happen suddenly to people in spring or summer when there has been a lot of pollen in the air and the weather was hot, dry, windy and stormy.
Road closures in south west
Motorists have been advised that a number of roads were closed in the state's south west as fires were continuing to burn out of control in Bessiebelle and Wade Junction.
Police have closed Woolsthorpe-Heywood Road is closed from Tyrendarra-Ettrick Road in Tyrendarra to Pyes Road, Bessiebelle due to heavy smoke and fire threat.
Mt Eccles Road near Sparrows Road in Macarthur was also closed in both directions due to fire activity. People should follow the direction of emergency services in the area.
Update, 2.11pm. A smoke warning has been issued by the Environment Protection Authority as fires continue to burn in the south west and Gippsland.
They have advised that people minimise time in smoky conditions and if visibility is 1.5km or less the air quality is in the hazardous level.
The biggest risk areas are Central, North East and Gippsland regions.
Smoke haze from fires in the south west near Portland has also drifted north into the Wimmera in the past few days.
For more information visit www.epa.vic.gov.au/your-environment/air/smoke.
Earlier: People have been told to "take care" during a total fire ban in the Wimmera on Friday as temperatures in the area are set to go above 40 degrees and there are less firies on the ground.
The Country Fire Authority said resources in the region had been "thinned" due to firefighters helping to fight blazes in Gippsland.
During a total fire ban no fires can be lit or be allowed to remain alight in the open air from 12.01 AM until 11.59 PM on Friday.
The Country Fire Authority declared the fire danger rating to be very high for all of Victoria, with total fire bans also in place for the southwest, northeast and East Gippsland.
More than 50 fires have been raging across the state with the worst burning predominantly in East Gippsland, the northeast and the alpine region.
District 17 operations officer Alfred Mason said it was important that people were aware of what they should not do during a total fire ban to prevent more fires starting as resources were stretched.
READ MORE: Vic bushfire evacuation ordered, two dead
"What we really want is for people to take care," he said.
"We have people away in East Gippsland on the firefront and a lot of our members are on annual leave with harvest over."
Mr Mason said CFA crews were still on the fireground at the Henty Highway near Brimpaen and Cherrypool after a fire started there on Tuesday afternoon.
He said crews were on standby today and the incident control centre was staffed.
"Our default response to all fires will be to send four brigades and we're listed for strike teams," Mr Mason said.
"On a total fire ban day often the first attack is not successful so we will ask for a plane straight away."
Five fires were burning in the Wimmera on Friday morning and one in the Grampians National Park. All have been contained and controlled and presented no threat to communities.
Advice messages have been issued for Big Desert, Telopea Downs, Waggon Flat, Netherby, Yanac, Murrayville, Cowangie and Corina.
Two bushfires have been contained in the Big Desert Wilderness Area and Big Desert State Forest 41 kilometres north north-west of Yanac.
Forest Fire Management said the bushfire had reached the Nhill-Murrayville Road and that motorists should use caution, with emergency vehicles on the road and smoke reducing visibility.
Firefighters have been patrolling this bushfire and checks would continue over the weekend.
Smoke may be visible from nearby roads and communities.
Victoria Emergency said smoke can affect people's health and those adversely affected should seek medical advice or call Nurse on Call on 1300 606 024.
Anyone experiencing wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing should call Triple-0.
An advice message was in place for Connewirricoo, Edenhope, Harrow, Kadnook, Wombelano with a bushfire at Kadnook in the Yallakar State Forest under control. The total size of the fire was 295 hectares.
There was also an advice message for Mafeking and Pomonal with a bushfire 13 kilometres south of Pomonal, in a remote area of the Grampians National Park under control.
Forest Fire Management said the small bushfire started from a band of lightning and was burning near Boundary Gap on the Major Mitchell Plateau.
Fire crews have been working in the area and there was no visible smoke.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Horsham, Warracknabeal were expected to reach a top of 41 degrees on Friday, while Nhill and Edenhope were forecast for a high of 40 degrees.
The mercury could reach 39 degrees in Stawell and 37 degrees in Ararat.
Asthma warnings during fires and extreme heat
People with asthma have been warned that extreme temperatures and bushfires could affect their breathing and trigger symptoms.
The Asthma Council chief executive Siobhan Brophy said in a statement that extreme weather changes could trigger asthma, especially when people moved from hot humid weather outside into a cool building.
"Pollen, dust and mould also are more prevalent over summer and can trigger symptoms when you least expect them, so we're urging people to plan ahead and look out for their personal warning signs to help prevent serious complications during the summer heat wave," Ms Brophy said.
She said people with asthma and allergies should stay aware of how they're feeling during the heat, and if asthma symptoms start, should act quickly to stop it turning into an asthma attack and seek professional help.
"It's important to stick to a good routine by taking your preventer inhaler every day as prescribed," says Ms Brophy. '"That way you're on top of your asthma whatever the weather throws at you."
She said people should ensure they pack their asthma medication and written asthma action plan, if they had one in their emergency evacuation kit.
Ms Brophy said people should store their puffer in a cool place to keep it in working condition rather than in their car glovebox or under a sunny window.
Dehydration could also play a role in asthma and allergies, so people should drink plenty of water throughout the day and consider staying indoors in hot weather or poor air quality days as this can trigger asthma.
Pollen levels were usually highest before 9am, so people should try and run errands mid-morning.
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