Two adults and a child are missing in catastrophic bushfire conditions described by locals as worse than Black Saturday.
Dozens of fires are burning across Victoria, including a concerning blaze around the town of Longwood, 150km north of Melbourne, putting thousands of residents under threat.
A major heatwave has swept across Australia's southeast, with temperatures forecast to reach 43C in Melbourne and up to 47C in parts of inland Victoria on Friday.
"It's appalling, this is looking worse than Black Saturday," Acting Mayor of Strathbogie Shire Claire Ewart-Kennedy told AAP.
"As an individual, it scares the bejesus out of me, and as the acting mayor, it devastates me."
Police have revealed three people, including one child, are unaccounted for after fire destroyed their house in Longwood East on Thursday afternoon.
The most dangerous bushfire conditions in years have brought the inevitable tragic outcomes across states. (Source: 1News)
Properties have been lost in Longwood and the nearby town of Ruffy, including a destroyed school, while a separate fire in the border town of Walwa has ripped through a pine tree plantation.
Ruffy-based Country Fire Authority captain George Noye gave a grim assessment of his town, with 10 properties destroyed including the school.
He said a member of his crew was hospitalised with third-degree burns to his hands.
"It's like a bomb has gone off. We got smashed by the fire spots," Noye told AAP.
Jan Newton, who lives in nearby Strath Creek, agreed evacuating her home on Friday morning brought memories of the Black Saturday fires flooding back.
A staggering 173 people were killed in Victoria in those blazes, which took place on February 7, 2009.
"I went through the 2009 fires, lost everything, and decided to leave early (on Friday)," Newton told AAP.
"Looking at the house, you look at it and think I've lived here for 50 years, and I've gone through five bushfires, I'm praying my luck hasn't run out."
Newton spoke from an evacuation centre in Seymour, about 30 minutes' drive southwest of Longwood.
Dozens of people have gathered at the centre, many with their animals, struggling in 41C heat.
Emergency Management Victoria said on Friday afternoon the Longwood fire remained "incredibly dynamic" and could spread in multiple directions.
"Friday's fire danger is the worst across Victoria since Black Summer in 2019-20 ... catastrophic and extreme fire conditions have been forecast across the state," it said in a statement.
Vets were on hand at the Seymour refuge, moving through the sports centre with treats and food, while people mingled and supported one another.
Local MP Cindy McLeish said residents were all too familiar with how to respond to bushfires.
"People, on one hand, are being calm and sensible, and I'm finding more and more people have plans ... but there's heightened anxiety, because a lot of people remember 2009 in my area vividly," she told AAP.
Wind gusts of up to 90km/h and a severe thunderstorm risk could cause erratic fire behaviour.
"Any fires in our landscape today ... will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and will be very fast moving," Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said.
"If you're in a bushfire prone area ... if you haven't left already, if you don't leave now, it could result in your life being lost."
The Longwood fire has razed more than 35,000 hectares while the flames near Walwa and Mount Lawson along the Victoria-NSW border have burnt over 17,000 hectares.
The Walwa and Mount Lawson fire is not expected to be contained for weeks.
Fires already out of control in several states and residents being told to flee for their lives. (Source: 1News)
Thirty new fires were sparked overnight after at least 10,000 lightning strikes were recorded in the state's east.
Strong winds could also ground the firefighting air fleet.
"It's every chance at some point the aircraft may not be able to fly," CFA chief Jason Heffernan said.
Thousands of people across the state are also without power, including in fire-affected areas.
Premier Jacinta Allan begged Victorians to follow emergency advice and evacuate properties where necessary.
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