Victoria to brace for harsher fire season

Victorians need to brace themselves for a potentially harsher and earlier fire season than normal, authorities warn.

After one of Australia's warmest and driest winters on record, large parts of the eastern states and South Australia have been marked "red" in the 2017 Southern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook.

Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley says fire services have already started their pre-season briefings.

The CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria have also brought forward prevention strategies, including burn-offs.

"The early forecast shows there is underlying dryness in some areas of the state, particularly across central parts of Victoria and across the east," he said.

"While there is a lot of surface water, which means there will be grass growth and a healthy supply of water for crop growing, ground moisture has the potential to dry out quickly under dry and warm conditions.

"The level of risk in the October to December period will still depend on how much spring rain there is in September."

He implored residents to start their own fire prevention works.