A raging bushfire in Victoria's west has been contained but could still smoulder for weeks, with residents told it is too soon to return to count the cost of the damage.
The blaze at Kadnook near the border with South Australia was one of about 80 that ignited in hot conditions on Saturday.
The threat was downgraded from watch and act late on Monday morning after crews declared the fire contained, although it is not safe to return to fire-affected properties just yet.
West Wimmera Shire mayor Tim Meyer said the fire started as people gathered for the nearby Edenhope show and it could burn for "several weeks" due to its location in a private bluegum plantation.
Strike teams were heading to the area to fight the blaze on Monday and Tuesday, relieving exhausted fire crews.
Their efforts were boosted by improved conditions after some rain fell in the area on Sunday before winds picked up again.
"That will give them a chance to hopefully put in some safety breaks and make the situation a lot safer," Mr Meyer told ABC TV.
The fire has claimed one home and authorities believe two others may have been burnt down, on top of stock and agricultural losses.
Mr Meyer said two sheds, kilometres of fencing, water tanks and troughs had been lost but it was still too dangerous to assess the scale of the damage.
Another major fire along the Great Ocean Road, a major tourist drawcard in the state's southwest, is also no longer considered a threat to local communities.
The blaze at Chapple Vale ripped through about at least 700 hectares and led to the evacuation of campers and hikers from Otway National Park.
While it is still burning out of control, a watch and act warning for the fire was downgraded on Monday morning as firefighters slowed the spread.
Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said fire conditions were generally easing across the country.
"Most areas are only seeing moderate fire dangers over the next few days," she said.
"That said, we do still have high fire dangers forecast today for northwestern parts of Victoria, parts of Tasmania's east coast and about the western slopes of the NSW ranges."
The Bureau of Meteorology had issued a severe weather warning for damaging, locally destructive winds and heavy rainfall for parts of Victoria'a southwest coast and northeast.
Mount Hotham recorded 88mm of rain from 9am Sunday to 6am Monday, while wind gusts of 144km/h (Mt Hotham), 131km/h (Mt Buller) and 124km/h (Falls Creek) were experienced in the Victorian alps.
There were almost 500 requests for assistance to the State Emergency Service from midnight on Saturday to 9am on Monday morning, including more than 300 downed trees and 120 for building damage.
Some 13,201 customers were off power at the peak of the storms on Sunday morning, with those in northeast Victoria the hardest hit.
