Earlier, the Bureau of Meteorology had said that extreme bushfire danger was rising as soaring temperatures fuelled what forecasters said could be the most severe heatwave since the “black summer” of 2019-20, one of the most intense fire seasons on record in Australia.

Multiple properties are feared lost to an out-of-control bushfire in central Victoria, as Australia's first heatwave of the year continued to bring high temperatures across the country.

Bushfires threatened dozens of rural towns in southeast Australia on Friday, firefighters said, as hot winds fanned "hectic" conditions in the tinder-dry countryside.

Three people are missing and homes have been destroyed, as catastrophic bushfire conditions worsen and firefighters warn more blazes could ignite.Dozens of fires are burning across Victoria, with emergency warnings covering half the state in soaring temperatures and gusty,