Hell's fury has been unleashed on Victoria, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says, with at least 76 people killed so far in raging bushfires that seem certain to claim many more lives.
At least 640 homes have been destroyed, more than 300,000 hectares burnt out, and some fires may take weeks to contain as the blazes threaten to figure in history as the worst bushfires and deadliest natural disaster Australia has ever experienced.
Entire towns have been wiped out and communities in Dederang, Taggerty and Glenburn in the state's north were still under threat on Sunday night, almost 36 hours after the first fires were sparked by record heat and winds on Saturday.
'Hell and all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours,' Mr Rudd told reporters in the fire-ravaged Yarra Valley.
'Many good people now lie dead. Many others lie injured.'
'This is an appalling tragedy for Victoria but, because of that, it's an appalling tragedy for the nation.'
'The nation grieves with Victoria tonight.'
In an address to the state, Victorian Premier John Brumby said 'out there it's been hell on earth'.
He defiantly declared Victoria would put its 'communities back together' and 'recover'.
Authorities believe some of the blazes were deliberately lit and police say arsonists could face murder charges and a maximum 25 years in prison.
The toll already surpasses the 47 deaths in Victoria in the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, while the Black Friday blaze in 1939 which claimed 71 lives and the overall death toll of 75 from the Ash Wednesday blazes are the worst on record.
Ten people remain in a critical condition in hospital with serious burns.
The Kinglake region, about 80km north of Melbourne, has been the worst hit - 550 homes have been razed and 55 deaths had been reported in the area as of 6pm (AEDT) on Sunday as the furious 120,000-hectare inferno, known as the Kinglake Complex, gave locals little chance.
According to residents, much of the town of Kinglake, which suffered eight deaths, has been destroyed and nearby Marysville was wiped off the map as the fireball showed no mercy on a fearful Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
'It was a most horrible day. It's going to look like Hiroshima, I tell you, it's going to look like a nuclear bomb. There's animals dead all over the road,' Kinglake resident Chris Harvey told AAP.
Six of the victims were in one car trying to outrun the inferno in Kinglake. Dr Harvey said the town was littered with burnt-out cars, and he believed many contained bodies.
Dr Harvey's daughters Victoria and Ali, both in their 20s, told of a local man, Ross, who lost both his daughters and possibly a brother.
'He apparently went to put his kids in the car, put them in, turned around to go grab something from the house, then his car was on fire with his kids in it, and they burnt,' Victoria said.
Almost the entire town of nearby Marysville in the picturesque Upper Yarra Valley was razed, with houses, shops, petrol stations and schools destroyed after the East Kilmore and Murrindindi Mill fires merged to create the massive Kinglake Complex, which is still causing major headaches for firefighters.
Two people had been killed in Marysville, according to a police update just after 7pm (AEDT).
Ten people were killed in Kinglake West and 11 in nearby St Andrews.
Nine deaths were reported in Gippsland in the state's east on Sunday as the 90,000-hectare Churchill fire burned almost to the coast. The Bunyip Ridge fire burned 24,500 hectares and torched the township of Labertouche on Saturday.
Four people are confirmed dead at Callignee, one at Upper Callignee, three at Hazelwood and one at Jeeralang in Gippsland - the areas hardest hit by the Churchill blaze.
Fire authorities say the threat to townships from the Bunyip Ridge and Churchill fires has subsided, but residents need to remain alert.
Crews will still be patrolling the area overnight.
Two deaths were reported in Bendigo and nearby Long Gully.
A 22,500-hectare blaze three kilometres south of Beechworth, also in the north, was still listed as out of control late on Sunday afternoon, but the threat was believed to be easing.
The ages and sex of the deceased is not known in all cases, however police expect that some children will be among them.
Touring the Yarra Valley firegrounds with the premier, Mr Rudd announced a joint federal-state $10 million emergency relief fund for the victims.
He said emergency Centrelink payments were available to those needing immediate financial assistance.
Mr Brumby said volunteer firefighters and aircraft were coming in from NSW and South Australia, while the Australian army would also be brought in to help.
