Victoria's first Total Fire Ban of the season declared as 'dry lightning' forecast

The first total fire ban for the 2024-25 bushfire season has been declared in Victoria's north-west.

An extreme fire danger rating has been declared for the Mallee region, where the temperature is expected to surge to 37 degrees.

Conditions today will be hot and windy across the state, with temperatures across Victoria expected to reach the mid to high 30s.

READ MORE: What does a total fire ban mean?

Wind gusts could reach close to 80km/h through central parts of Victoria and up to 90km/h around elevated ranges.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said conditions, including the potential for dry lightning, would make it hard for firefighters to suppress a fire if one were to start.

READ MORE: Bushfire danger forces evacuation of hundreds of people from Queensland town

The warning comes after a band of lightning across Victoria last Sunday caused up to 70 grass and scrub fires.

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"Some of those fires took a great deal of resources and time to extinguish," Heffernan said.

"The potential for dry lightning and the wind change forecast is a key factor, and one that both CFA members and local residents need to be aware of."

Under a total fire ban, it is illegal to light, maintain, or use a fire out in the open, or carry out any activity that may spark a blaze.