Fire near Melbourne grows out of control.

A fast-spreading, out-of-control grassfire north of Melbourne is continuing to expand and move towards additional towns. The fire began in Flowerdale, located around 90 minutes from the Victorian capital, on Tuesday afternoon and is now heading north towards Yea. Waterbombing aircraft were used during the night, and it appears that no homes have been affected, however the full scope of damage to fences and sheds is not known. The blaze is now more than 700 hectares in size and is burning across steep, inaccessible terrain towards forested areas. An emergency warning has been issued for Flowerdale, meaning that it is too late for many of the residents to evacuate. Those located between Dairy Creek Road and Handleys Road and Upper King Parrot Creek Road and Landmark Lane have been instructed to leave before conditions deteriorate. Smoke can be seen in the vicinity, and an incident control centre has been established in Alexandra. More than 50 CFA units are fighting the blaze with support from Forest Fire Management. A photo posted to social media by the Wonga Park CFA on Tuesday night showed thick terrain glowing bright orange against the night sky. A heatwave warning has been issued for Victoria, and temperatures are expected to surpass 30 degrees Celsius for the next three days.