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Total fire bans as Vic heat reprieve ends

Callum GoddeAAP
Temperatures in Victoria's far northwest are tipped to soar back into the high 30s and low 40s.
Camera IconTemperatures in Victoria's far northwest are tipped to soar back into the high 30s and low 40s.

Victoria's summer heat is set to resurface after a brief reprieve, prompting another round of total fires bans across parts of the state.

Temperatures are tipped to soar back into the high 30s and low 40s in the far northwest on Wednesday, including 41C at Mildura, after Monday's scorching conditions eased.

The Country Fire Authority has issued a total fire ban for the Mallee, Wimmera and Northern Country, with hot, dry and north-westerly winds forecast ahead of a wind change and possible thunderstorms.

Fire danger in those districts is considered severe - the same rating set down on Monday - and very high to high in other areas.

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A grass fire at Taylors Hill in Melbourne's outer northwest threatened homes on Monday, rising to watch and act level before being brought under control.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan says grassfires that broke out were successfully managed but he was disappointed to learn of a number of deliberately lit fires.

"We saw campfires lit in places along the Murray River, near Myrtleford and Apollo Bay on a day of very hot and windy conditions," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

"There were also a number of backyard bonfires in residential areas, which is really disappointing on such a hot day."

Campers and harvesting farmers have been urged to take care and adhere to Wednesday's total fire ban, which outlaws open-air fires from 12.01am to 11.59pm.

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