Tragedy as body found with fires burning out of control

A person has been killed in bushfires after police found human remains about 100 metres from a vehicle as more than 30 blazes ravage Victoria.

Police confirmed the death on Sunday after finding the body in the Longwood bushfire area, about 130km north of Melbourne.

The person is yet to be identified and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

More than 350,000 hectares have burned and in excess of 300 properties have been lost in Victoria as summer heatwaves spurred out-of-control bushfires.

It is expected to take weeks to get the blazes under control with the weather forecast to become hot and dry again, according to Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman.

Communities most impacted by the bushfires will be able to claim a one-off disaster recovery payment of $1000 for each adult and $400 per child as part of a $19.5 million package announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan.

Under the package, a $10 million program to help distribute fodder to farmers in need will be available.

“My message to Victorians is pretty simple, we’ve got your back,” the prime minister said in Bendigo on Sunday.

“Not just during this crisis, but through the recovery as well.”

From Wednesday, residents in Barkers Creek, Harcourt, Harcourt North, Longwood, Longwood East, Natimuk, Ravenswood South, Ruffy and Sutton Grange will be eligible.

“We are not through the worst of this, by a long way,” Ms Allan said.

There are 32 active fires across the state, with 10 major fire grounds.

Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said more than 300 structures had been lost.

“In good news, we are starting to get on top of some of these fires,” he said.

Mr Wiebusch said “disappointingly” spectators had been heading into some of the areas devastated by fire.

“We only expect to see locals if it is safe to be in there at all, so please do not enter those fire impacted zones,” he said.

Among those devastated by the fires is a family and their beloved cat who were rescued by a police helicopter as their regional Victorian home was destroyed by fire.

The trio, two women and a 92-year-old man, bunkered down on their remote Caveat property, seeking safety in a shipping container on their land as fire swept through the area.

The family slept in their car on Friday night.

With no road access, police used a helicopter on Saturday morning to transport the group and their cat Grisha to Seymour.

One of the women, an 82-year-old, had her hair singed by the flames and was treated for burns to her hands.

Victoria Police Air Wing Tactical Flight Officer Brittany Smith described the destruction from the air as heartbreaking.

“By no means do we encourage people to shelter in shipping containers however on this occasion all I can say is this family is extremely lucky,” she said.

“It was good we were able to get in and get them out. We were glad we could provide assistance when they needed us.”

A state of emergency has been declared for 18 local government areas.

Several emergency level blazes were dotted across the state but firefighting efforts were concentrated on a huge blaze in Victoria’s centre and another in the northeast, near the NSW border.

A blaze that ripped through Harcourt, northeast of Castlemaine in the Central Highlands, claimed at least 50 structures, including homes and businesses.