Victoria police said human remains had been found in the Longwood bushfire area on Sunday. The person, who was yet to be formally identified, was found about 100 metres from a vehicle off Yarck Road at Gobur.<\/p>\n
Forest Fire Management Victoria\u2019s chief fire officer, Chris Hardman, said \u201cthese are our worst fears\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always have the primacy of life at the forefront and the centre of our thinking. It\u2019s what drives and motivates us,\u201d he told ABC TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been a fatality associated with this bushfire \u2026 it does really take the wind out of all of our sails. Heartfelt feelings for the local community there and, of course, the families, friends and loved ones of the person who is deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 300 structures had been destroyed with about 80 homes lost, authorities said, as fires burned 350,000 hectares of bushland.<\/p>\n
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese<\/a>, told Victorians: \u201cWe\u2019ve got your back, not just during this crisis, but through the recovery as well.\u201d<\/p>\n The Walwa River Road bushfire started last Monday and grew throughout the week. Photograph: DEECA Hume region Facebook page<\/p>\n Albanese announced disaster recovery funding to be provided jointly with the state government, which now totals $19.5m.<\/p>\n Eleven emergency warnings were in place at 3.30pm on Sunday, with residents urged to \u201cleave immediately\u201d or \u201ctake shelter now\u201d, according to VicEmergency, as major bushfires in the Otways, Longwood in central Victoria and north-east on the New South Wales border remained out of control.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Victoria\u2019s premier, Jacinta Allan<\/a>, said the state was facing \u201canother difficult day\u201d with 32 active fires.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not through the worst of this by a long way,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you are told to leave by the emergency services, do so. Stay safe and support our firefighters\u201d.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said it was disappointing to see spectators travelling to bushfire-affected areas.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPlease do not enter those fire-impacted zones. Stay well away from them until they are safe,\u201d he said. People were warned that, even after a fire had passed, falling tree limbs could prove deadly.<\/p>\n Authorities were beginning to assess property losses, Wiebusch said. More than 47 homes and three businesses were lost at Ravenswood and Harcourt, fires at Natimuk had destroyed 30 houses and 40 sheds, and about 150 structures were lost at Longwood. One house and 12 sheds were destroyed at Mount Mercer.<\/p>\n Many areas were still too dangerous to conduct loss and damage assessments, the commissioner said.<\/p>\n Thirteen relief centres were open across the state, offering support to affected communities.<\/p>\n A statewide total fire ban remained in place, with high fire danger continuing across the Mallee, Wimmera, northern, north-central and north-east districts, due to dry and windy conditions.<\/p>\n Federal and state authorities were working to provide food and fodder for surviving livestock, with active fires continuing to restrict road access.<\/p>\n With smoke and ash from the fires likely to drift, air quality advice was issued statewide, encouraging people to stay indoors and limit prolonged or heavy physical activity.<\/p>\n A property destroyed by fire at Yarck in Victoria. Photograph: Steve Womersley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cYour nose is an excellent smoke detector,\u201d VicEmergency advised. \u201cIf you can smell smoke, take the necessary precautions to protect your health.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople more sensitive to smoke are those with a heart or lung condition, including asthma; people over the age of 65 years; infants and children; and pregnant women.\u201d<\/p>\n Victoria\u2019s Environment Protection Authority forecast widespread \u201cpoor\u201d air quality, with \u201cvery poor\u201d quality observed on Sunday afternoon at monitoring sites in Wangaratta, Beechworth, Myrtleford and Rutherglen.<\/p>\n Residents of Harcourt, a town in the central highlands, were told not to drink the tap water due to the risk of contamination. The water corporation Coliban Water was unable to access a burst water main due to the fires. The \u201cdo not drink\u201d advice<\/a> covered drinking, food preparation, preparing baby formula, brushing teeth or making ice.<\/p>\n Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said after three days of \u201cscorching hot temperatures\u201d in Victoria, the heat had mostly subsided, with many places now experiencing cooler-than-average temperatures for January.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a real flip of the switch,\u201d he said on Sunday.<\/p>\n Victoria could expect mild conditions over the coming days, he said, but no significant rain was expected until later in the week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may see some wet weather moving into parts of southern and eastern Victoria on Thursday or Friday. Current forecasts suggest that most of that rainfall is going to be on the southern side of the ranges and out over the Gippsland area.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Australia\u2019s north, residents were being \u201csmashed\u201d by heavy rain<\/a> and fierce wind after Tropical Cyclone Koji crossed the coast in Queensland<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Firefighters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768120394_412_537.jpg\")
Firefighters battle bushfire in regional Victoria, where 50 structures were destroyed \u2013\u00a0video<\/p>\n