'Leave now' warning for Chetwynd and Kadnook with spot fires and embers along Great Ocean Road — as it happened

We will wrap up our live coverage here for now.

Updates on the situation will continue on the ABC News website.

A full wrap of the latest news can be found here.

Here is a summary of the fires being reported in Victoria right now:

• Bushfires in the Chetwynd region, with residents in Chetwynd told to leave immediately. Kadnook and Brimboal residents have been told to leave now. Durong and Coojar residents have been told to stay informed
• Bushfires in the Chapple Vale region, with Yuulong residents told to leave now and Devondale residents told to stay informed
• Bushfire in Dereel, with residents told to stay informed
• Bushfires in Kawarran, which the Country Fire Authority says has been brought under countrol
• No advice for bushfires in Marcus Hill, Warrabkook, Goschen, Tawonga, Mallacoota, Whiteheads Creek, Acheron, Broadford, Wickliffe, Nandaly and Bimbourie
• No advice for other fires in St Albans, Lilydale, Mitcham, South Melbourne, Endeavour Hills, Mount Martha and Harcourt

More information is available on the Country Fire Authority website

Bill McNamara in Yuulong said he hasn't seen fires like this since Ash Wednesday.

"It's closer than I'd want it to be," he told the ABC.

He said the Otways region is volatile and is expecting a long night ahead to protect his property.

Cama Hanrahan was out of service cooling off by a waterhole in Crowes, but saw the notifications of the fires at 3pm as authorities ramped up alerts.

"My phone was going off. I was panicking," she said.

She evacuated her home and plans to drive to Colac tonight.

She told the ABC there were a lot of tourists still coming through Lavers Hill, counting around 20 cars a minute passing the main road.

The Country Fire Authority has downgraded its previous Watch and Act warning for the Railway Line Rd fire to Threat Is Reduced, saying the fire has been brought under control.

Geoff Amery, who owns a bed and breakfast near Chetwynd in the state's west, said the Kadnook blaze was the scariest fire he had seen since he moved to the area about 15 years ago.

"It's getting a bit close to home. I'm hoping the wind change won't affect us too much," he said.

The West Wimmera Shire Council has opened an emergency relief centre at the Edenhope and District Community Centre after a large fire sparked in western Victoria.

The blaze is burning around 110 kilometres south-west of Horsham in Victoria's western districts.

West Wimmera Shire CEO David Beizeudenhoet said he helped a couple, who had lost everything including their house and caravan, find accommodation.

"At this stage, I'm hoping there's not more cases," he said.

"They're resilient people in our community. But even for a resilient person, it's a bad experience.

Mr Beizeudenhoet also had to arrange a place for their dogs, who are safe.

"The reality of what has happened will likely hit them tomorrow."

Residents in the vicinity of the Casterton-Edenhope Rd bushfire have been advised to leave immediately, raising a previous warning from Watch and Act to Emergency after the CFA heard reports of property damage.

These are the other fire warnings for Victoria right now:

• Watch and Act, leave now: Railway Line Rd, Kawarren
• Watch and Act, leave now: Lavers Hill-Cobden Rd, Chapple Vale
• Advice, stay informed: Camms Rd, Dereel
• Advice, threat is reduced: Calder Hwy, Nandaly

For more info, the Country Fire Authority has a full rundown of advice on their website.

The CFA has declared a total fire ban for Sunday in the Wimmera area, with no-one allowed to light fires from midnight tonight.

An emergency warning is in place for towns of Chetwynd, Connewirricoo and Kadnook, which are around 100 kilometres south-west of Horsham in western Victoria.

Victoria State Control Centre spokesperson Luke Hegarty said there would be a Total Fire Ban for tomorrow covering large swathes of western Victoria, namely in the Wimmera fire district, due to the number of fires that started today.

"Until those winds die down, they'll have a tough job," he said.

"It will be a different day to what we've seen today but because of the fires we have seen develop today, we're trying to give our crews the best chance possible to contain those fires."

Meanwhile, Hegarty said there are complex fire conditions in the state's south-west Otways region, including in Crowes, Yuulong and Wattle Hill, which is around 115km south-east of Warrnambool.

"There's pretty high smoke columns [and] it's really difficult terrain for our crews to get into," he said.

"The advice to say 'Leave Now' is because we want people to make that decision [to] get on the road while it's safe." “

Heffernan says the CFA is getting early reports of some property loss due to the Kadnook fire, impact assessment teams are going in now.

“We are getting early indications of some property losses as a result of that fire. It is spreading in some really undulating, difficult country. Hundreds of firefighters are on that fire, supported by aircraft and heavy machinery.”

The Country Fire Authority's chief Jason Heffernan spoke to ABC NewsChannel about the fire conditions across the state's west.

He said hot, northerly winds were the cause of a number of major fires starting, which will continue into tomorrow despite cooler temperatures.

A new watch and act warning has been issued for Crowes, Lavers Hill-Cobden Rd, and Chapple Vale for a fire that is not yet under control.

The CFA says it's travelling from Lavers Hill-Cobden Rd in a south-easterly direction towards Crowes and the Great Ocean Road.

Spot fires and embers are expected to impact the Great Ocean Walk between now, 5:30pm and 6pm.

There is now a Community Fire Refuge at Otway CFA Fire Station, 8-14 Lavers Hill-Cobden Road, Lavers Hill, for people seeking shelter.

For those needing a translator:

• Call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 (freecall) and ask them to call VicEmergency Hotline.

• Contact the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677 and ask them to call the VicEmergency Hotline.

Gellibrand and Kawarren are currently under watch and act — leave now warnings.

The CFA has reported an out-of-control bushfire at Railway Line Road in Kawarren travelling in a southerly direction towards Frys Road.

Its advice is:

• Monitor changes to the situation. Increased wind speed, change in wind direction, smoke or poor visibility can indicate the situation is changing.
• Protect yourself and your family. 
• If you are away from home, do not return.
• Leave via Colac-Lavers Hill Road.

A fire in the Otways near the Great Ocean Road has been upgraded to watch and act — leave now for Crowes, Johanna Heights, Wangerrip, Yuulong, Graham Junction.

"It's really difficult terrain for our crews to get in to," State Control Centre spokesperson Luke Heagerty said.

The area is popular with tourists, and he advised people to avoid driving through that area.

"It's a really tricky spot to get in and out of."

There will be a total fire ban for the Wimmera from midnight today until midnight tomorrow, ahead of another anticipated windy day.

Remember to always call triple-0 in an emergency, but here are some other useful sources of info while we're at it.

• https://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/ (all current warnings)
• VicEmergency Hotline - freecall 1800 226 226
• VicEmergency app
• Facebook or Twitter (#vicfires)
• ABC Ballarat: 107.9 FM
• ABC Wimmera: 594 AM
• ABC Radio Melbourne 774 AM

There's a total fire ban across the state's north-west, with the Mallee and Wimmera regions under watch today.

Here are the latest fire warnings for Victoria:

• Emergency, leave immediately: Chetwynd, Connewirricoo, Kadnook
• Watch and Act, leave now: Crowes, Johanna Heights, Wangerrip, Yuulong, Graham Junction
• Watch and Act, leave now: Dereel between Moffats Road and Reserve Road
• Watch and Act, leave now: Brimboal, Nareen, Wando Bridge, Wando Vale
• Watch and Act, leave now: Kadnook
• Watch and Act, leave now: Gellibrand, Kawarren
• Watch and Act, stay near shelter: Bimbourie, Daytrap Corner, Lake Tyrrell, Nandaly, Ninda, Nyarrin, Pier Milan
• Watch and Act, Camms Road, Dereel
• Watch and Act, grassfire: Calder Hwy, Nandaly

For more info, the Country Fire Authority has a full rundown of advice on their website.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has urged people living between Moffats Road and Reserve Road in Dereel to leave now.

This is on top of an earlier warning to leave now for residents between Geggies Road and Gumley Road.

The CFA said an out-of-control bushfire was about 38 kilometres south of Ballarat at Camms Road, Dereel and was moving in a southerly direction towards Rokewood-Shelford Road.

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the ongoing bushfire situation in Victoria.

I'm Esther Linder and myself and the team in Victoria will be sending you the latest updates and warnings as we get them.

If you have any questions feel free to send them my way by commenting below and we'll do our best to answer.

Remember to always follow the directions of first responders and stay out of harm's way.