Victoria bushfires:

At least three houses have been destroyed by a large bushfire in Victoria’s west which is still threatening more than 20 small towns and forcing residents to flee.

More than 500 firefighters were back on the fire ground on Saturday morning as they tried to protect areas under threat around 65 kilometres north-west of Ballarat.

Residents of Bayindeen, Chute, Elmhurst, Mount Lonarch and surrounds were still being told to urgently evacuate from their homes on Saturday.

“Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” warnings from emergency services read.

While strong winds made fighting the blaze more difficult on Friday, cooler temperatures during the day were a relief for firefighters.

Emergency services are supercharging their suppression efforts ahead of Wednesday, when the fire-affected area is forecast to reach a top of 37 degrees.

The Country Fire Authority said the bushfire was still travelling in a northerly direction through the state forest south of Elmhurst, with spot fires appearing in the Mount Lonarch area. By Saturday morning, fires had burned though more than 15,600 hectares.

A spokeswoman for the State Control Centre confirmed that at least three homes had been lost in the blaze, but initial impact assessments were ongoing.