Firefighters are battling two uncontrolled bushfires, one at Dimboola and Wail near the South Australian border and the other in the southwestern part of the Grampians National Park.
The Dimboola fire was sparked by dry lightning at Little Desert National Park on Monday and has already grown to more than 63,000 hectares.
Residents were told to evacuate but some at Dimboola District Hospital and the town's aged care facility didn't manage to get out in time and had to shelter in place.
About 190 people sought refuge at a makeshift relief centre in Horsham, with 27 staying overnight.
The fire was downgraded to watch and act on Tuesday afternoon and Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said it would soon be deemed "safe to return".
"I'm incredibly thankful that no lives have been lost from this fire, and we have no reports of injuries either," he told reporters at the State Control Centre in Melbourne.
Firefighters say the blaze spread from public land to private property and has grown to 63,000ha. (HANDOUT/STATE CONTROL CENTRE)
Popular wedding and conference centre Little Desert Nature Lodge was destroyed in the blaze.
"The lodge just exploded, it's totally gone," Hindmarsh Shire Council mayor Ron Ismay told AAP.
"It's very sad, it was a great venue for people of the area."
A WATCH & ACT - Monitor Conditions As They Are Changing issued for the Little Desert National Park and surrounding areas including Lawloit, Kinimakatka, Winiam, Gerang Gerung, Dimboola west of the Wimmera River, Duchembegarra and Nurcoung.— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) More details at https://t.co/Kp1Pe2tfSO pic.twitter.com/hadWuNMJgqJanuary 28, 2025
Mr Nugent confirmed a farm house west of Dimboola was also lost and another near a river may have been impacted.
Little Desert National Park and Wail State Forest remain closed and the rain line between Victoria and SA has been suspended.
Damage assessments were expected to continue throughout Tuesday.
A second emergency warning issued for Strachans, Victoria Point and Victoria Valley in the Grampians National Park has also been downgraded to watch and act.
The fires are in the remote southwest and northwest parts of the Grampians that were not scorched by fires earlier this summer.
"It's incredibly dry in there," Mr Nugent said.
"It's been a lot of years since parts of the Grampians has burnt, and with all of those conditions, it's just made it really challenging this year for us."
It took 21 days to bring blazes in the Grampians, sparked on December 17, under control.
Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman said these fires would present a "similar scenario" as a cool change gave way to gusty conditions.
"The Grampians fire will be a real challenge for the coming days and potentially weeks," he said.
A bushfire sparked by dry lightning has been downgraded but authorities remain on high alert. (HANDOUT/STATE CONTROL CENTRE)
Premier Jacinta Allan said there were up to 150 fires across the state as high heat and winds brought dangerous conditions and fire bans.
A volunteer firefighter protecting the community on Monday had their ute stolen from Werneth Fire Station, about 60km west of Ballarat, and it was last seen at Linton.
"I can't think of anything worse or a lower act to go and steal a car of a volunteer," CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said.
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