A LARGE grassfire has destroyed one home and damaged another in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
The out-of-control fire has burnt almost 2000 hectares on both sides of the busy Hume Freeway around Epping and Campbellfield.
One home in the Epping North area has been destroyed, incident controller John Deering said.
Another home has been damaged and several outbuildings or sheds have been lost.
An emergency warning is still in place on Monday night for the Epping and Campbellfield area.
The fire spread quickly on Monday afternoon but crews believe they have managed to slow or stop its spread.
Some parts of the 31km of fire edge are still active, Mr Deering said.
"The fire is not advancing or spreading any further at this stage," he told ABC Radio.
"However there may be still active fire within that fire edge."
Victoria's Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said firefighters hoped to contain the Donnybrook-Kalkallo fire on Monday night.
"The forward spread of that fire has been significant but has now slowed," Mr Lapsley said.
The fire closed the Hume Freeway and created traffic gridlock on nearby major roads. Smoke was also affecting the area.
Crews in about 70 fire trucks and six helicopters are fighting the blaze, about 20km north of the CBD, and any spot fires.
Residents in other parts of Epping, Lalor and Thomastown are also on alert.
Some residents who have left their homes have been advised to stay where they are for the time being.
Mr Deering said authorities hoped to be able to downgrade the fire alerts to allow people to return home later on Monday night but only when it is safe to do so.
Crews would remain on scene all night, he said.
Meanwhile, two large bushfires in the Grampians in Victoria's southwest have merged to form one out-of-control bushfire about 3260 hectares in size.
The Grampians fire has moved from bushland into private land, Mr Lapsley said.
A wind change due on Monday night would have an impact on the fire, he said.
"We have a lot of resources in place but certainly it is a very dry area and certainly we will see significant fire move through Victoria Valley," he told ABC TV.
Farming communities in the area have been on alert with emergency warnings issued on Sunday and Monday.
The latest, for the Victoria Valley area, has been downgraded to a Watch and Act alert.
The fire, started by lightning on Thursday, has been creating spot fires 1km ahead of it.
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