Victoria’s Premier, Daniel Andrews, flew into fire ravaged East Gippsland on New Year’s Day to inspect the damage.

In conjunction with the Federal Government, Premier Andrews instigated a military style operation to help those isolated by the fires with fears tomorrow’s expected extreme temperatures could inspire worsening fire conditions.

The Australian Defence Force will move naval assets towards Mallacoota while two Black Hawk helicopters arrived in East Sale on New Year’s Day.

A larger Taipan chopper has also flown into East Gippsland.

Two large, heavy lifting Chinook helicopters are due to arrive in East Gippsland today.

The Paynesville Water Police has already taken 1.6 tonnes of water to Mallacoota.

A barge was on Wednesday loaded in Melbourne with food, water and 30,000 litres of fuel to convey to the coastal community ensuring supplies for two weeks.

“This is a particularly unique set of circumstances. We’ve got people who are isolated in the middle of the fire, we have people who have left and can’t get back in, we’ve got fires that are not out and we have some very significant weather coming our way on Friday and Saturday,” Premier Andrews said on Wednesday.

Premier Andrews, who had earlier visited the Relief Centre in Bairnsdale, said the operation to assist those in need and continue fighting the fires would be a long, dangerous and complex process in supporting everybody who’s been impacted.

“I know everyone wants it to be simple, of course we do too, but it is not. This is a complex set of fires and the coming days and weeks are going to be very challenging. We’ve not seen this before. We’ve not seen this for a very long time, if perhaps ever, and on that basis it’s going to test all of us but we are equal to that challenge.”

Accompanied by Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, and Police and Emergency Services Minister, Lisa Neville, Premier Andrews reminded East Gippslanders that the situation in the region was still “very dangerous, everchanging and complex”. On Wednesday, choppers plucked 90 firefighters out of the Mallacoota area and dropped fresh fire crews into the fire zone.

“We’re essentially doing a shift change by air,” Premier Andrews said. “That’s not something we’ve done before and it’s one example of how complex and how challenging these East Gippsland fires are now and will be for a considerable period of time.”

Lightning strikes have started more than 45 fires in the Alpine region and there’s concern that unless those blazes are extinguished, they could join up to the larger ongoing fires in East Gippsland.

Commissioner Crisp said the previous three fires burning in East Gippsland have now become one and have burned more than 500,000 hectares to date. More than 750,000 hectares have been burnt across the entire state.

He warned residents that tomorrow is shaping up as a “high risk day for us again”.

“Saturday is a significant day for us. With those new fires, if we get a run on them, what we will find is they will be travelling down and they will join up with the East Gippsland fires,” Commissioner Crisp said.

About 100 people remained isolated in Genoa at the time of going to press, with further significant disruptions on the Princes Highway likely in coming days.

Commissioner Crisp didn’t mince words when quizzed about the ferocity of the fires.

“You will not stop these fires. When you start to get fire danger ratings up into that extreme area, fires are fast moving, they’re uncontrollable, they’re unpredictable,” he said.

“You’re not going to put these fires out, that’s the fact. Nature started these fires, it’s going to be nature that stops these fires.”

IMAGE: Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, inspects the fire damage across East Gippsland on Wednesday. Mr Andrews has been in the region this week to support those affected by the fires and will provide ongoing support to communities as the fires continue to burn. (Photo: Jason Edwards)