Update 7.00pm THE death toll from Victoria's bushfires has risen to 181 as fire crews continue to fight blazes across the state.

Dozens of towns are on alert for imminent ember attack as changing winds blow embers ahead of the fire front sparking dangerous spot fires, the HeraldSun reports.

Wind has flared up a fire in the Bunyip State Park, which is now threatening the town of Gembrook.

Residents in Currawong Dve have been warned they may be directly impacted by the fire while those in East Beenak Rd to the Pack Track have been told to be aware of fire activity in the area.

The Murrindindi-Yea fire is the other main area of concern for firefighters with three separate fire fronts threatening towns.  Urgent threat messages issued earlier this afternoon remain current.

DSE spokesman Kevin Monk said there was a lot of fire activity southwest of Alexandra.

He said a DSE plane flew over the fire area with heat imaging equipment which showed intense patches of fire in the area.

"It did show up as very intense fire behaviour.  It only takes a bit of wind for a fire to take off again," he said.

Fire burning west of the Black Range is threatening the communities of Acheron, Connellys Creek, Crystal Creek, Scrubby Creek, Native Dog Creek and Molesworth. Residents have been warned to prepare for possible ember attack.

The northeast fire front is also threatening communities around Rubicon, Thornton-Taggerty Rd, Bulls Ln, and in Cathedral Ln to the east of Little River. Residents have been told to them may be directly impacted by the fire.

The fire is also burning near Glenburn and is threatening communities in Kalatha Creek Rd and east of Two Hills Rd near Glenbur, the HeraldSun said.

The Country Fire Authority's urgent threat message for the area has warned residents to prepare for increased fire activity and ember attack.

Communities near Yarck and Caveat have also been placed on high alert due to fire activity in the area.

Mr Monk said authorities were hopeful of calmer conditions overnight which would enable firefighters to build control lines around the fire fronts.

He said bulldozers were constructing containment lines and firefighters were backburning where weater conditions allowed.

He said while conditions were nowhere near the extremes of Saturday people should not become complacent.



Read more on the HeraldSun online.