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Topic:Bushfires
The Longwood bushfire has threatened dozens of central Victorian communities over several days. (Supplied: Jenny Houghton)
Victoria has confirmed its first fatality in the bushfire emergency ravaging the state, with police discovering human remains east of the town of Seymour.
Officers said the person's remains were discovered near a vehicle off Yarck Road in the locality of Gobur.
The location is in the footprint of the Longwood bushfire, which has been burning through vast areas of central Victoria for several days.
Police said they were able to access the fire-affected region on Sunday afternoon and discovered the remains about 100 metres from the vehicle.
The person is yet to be formally identified and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
The death is the first fatality directly linked to the state's ongoing bushfire disaster.
Emergency service crews on Friday found the body of a man in his 60s in a vehicle on his private property in the bushfire-ravaged town of Harcourt, but they believed his death was not directly related to the nearby Ravenswood South fire.
A report is also being prepared for the coroner in relation to that death.
Australia heatwave live updates: Read our blog for the latest news as out-of-control bushfires burn and temperatures soar for a fourth day.
Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman said the tragic news of the death was the worst fear of his firefighting crews.
He told the ABC that the preservation of life was "at the forefront and the centre of our thinking".
"It's what drives and motivates us," he said.
He said the investigation into the person's death was still in an early stage and that Victoria Police was working through its processes.
Mr Hardman said there had been "some incredible work by firefighters", but the Longwood fire was still out of control.
"It's a 300-kilometre boundary," he said.
"It's a lot of fire in the landscape and it's going to be with us for some time."
The Longwood fire has burned through a large area in central Victoria. (Supplied: VicEmergency)
The bushfires have scorched hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, destroyed hundreds of structures and injured or killed potentially thousands of head of cattle as they have raged across the state since Wednesday.
Authorities are waiting for some affected areas to become safe enough to enter and conduct formal impact assessments.
Two blazes — the Walwa fire in the state's north-east and a fire in the Great Otway National Park — were continuing to burn at an emergency level on Sunday afternoon, but the Longwood fire was downgraded at about 5pm.
For more information on the latest fire warnings for Victoria, visit the VicEmergency website.
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