Person dies as Australia's bushfire emergency enters its sixth day

The death of a person has marked a fatal turn for a bushfire emergency that has devastated communities across Victoria and forced fire crews to work through the night for a fifth day.

A total fire ban has been declared in the state's north-east and north-central districts and from Monday onwards, poor air quality is forecast across Victoria as more than 20 bushfires continue to burn, two of them at emergency level.

On Sunday night, Victoria Police confirmed that one person had been found dead in an area affected by the Longwood fire, near the Central Victorian town of Gobur.

The person's body was discovered 100 metres from a vehicle after crews gained access to the area on Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that her thoughts and were with the person's family and loved ones.

"This loss will be felt far beyond Gobur, and it marks the first known fire-related fatality during what has already been an incredibly challenging period for our state," she said.

The person has yet to be formally identified and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

Chris Hardman, chief fire officer at Victoria Forest Fire Management, said the news that someone had died "really takes the wind out of [his crew's] sails".

"We always have the primacy of life at the forefront and the centre of our thinking - It's what drives and motivates us," he said.

By Sunday evening 390,000 hectares of Victorian had been burnt.

Favourable conditions help firefighting efforts

While parts of the state recorded temperatures in the 30s on Sunday, Hardman said low winds had helped firefighters to work on containment.

On Sunday night the Walwa fire in the state's north-east and the Carlisle River fire in the Otways continued to burn at emergency levels.

Hardman said the fire front in the Otway remained "really concerning" but with favourable conditions, firefighters were working 24/7 to create containment lines.

"There has been some incredible work by firefighters on that blaze, there has been a lot of work done to contain the northern boundary of that fire."

The Longwood fire burning in Central Victoria remained out of control on Sunday evening but had been downgraded to a Watch and Act level.

Fires at Stratham, Natimuk and Mt Mercer were expected to be contained by the end of Monday.

Hardman said the fire was likely to burn for "some weeks" and it was crucial firefighters took advantage of the favourable weather, given there would be more extreme heat in the coming weeks.

"By the 18th of January we could be in really spike weather territory again and that fire could head right for the coast," he said.

Structure losses expected to grow

At least 300 structures have been impacted so far, but that number is expected to grow in the coming days as crews gain greater access to fire grounds.

Hardman said damage assessments so far had been conducted from the air, meaning it had not been possible for his teams to distinguish between residences and sheds.

"When we get those impact assessments on the ground … our teams will get in there and those numbers will firm up."

On Sunday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled to the Bendigo Incident Control Centre and stood alongside Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to announce a AU$19.5 million immediate support package that had been jointly funded by the two governments.

"This package of funding will assist primary producers with the extraordinary costs of undertaking fodder distribution to ensure humane treatment of stranded livestock," the prime minister said.

The package includes AU$10 million to help get fodder to farmers suffering significant livestock losses, AU$1.5 million for emergency accommodation and AU$1 million for disaster recovery mental health support.

Allan said the package was shaped by what her government had been hearing from the ground.

"That's why it focuses on the personal hardship payments, emergency accommodation and also support for livestock."

- ABC