The true scale of destruction left by fires blazing across rural southwest Victoria is yet to be determined, but several homes and thousands of livestock are already lost.
Four significant fires continued to burn on Monday, with alerts in place for Gazette, Gavroc, Terang and Camperdown, after more than two days of keeping crews busy.
The Country Fire Authority says 15,000 hectares of land have been burnt, reducing initial estimates of 40,000 ha of devastation.
The fires have claimed up to 18 homes and 42 dairy and machinery sheds as well as hundreds of livestock, with the death count expected to run into the thousands across the farming communities.
The out-of-control fires lashing the region haunt the memories of those who survived one of Victoria's fatal blazes - Ash Wednesday - with Terang's Chris O'Connor still remembering the 1983 event.
"Fortunately there were no lives lost. That's the silver lining," Mr O'Connor said.
