The tiny town of Licola is in the path of a massive fire that continues to burn in Victoria's east. Source: AAP
A MASSIVE fire could continue burning for weeks in Victoria's east as police investigate whether campers noticed anything suspicious before it started.
Nine homes have been destroyed and one man has died in the 50,000-hectare fire, although benign weather has slowed the blaze and no communities are under immediate threat.
Police have appealed for people to come forward if they saw anything suspicious in the hours leading up to the fire starting in Aberfeldy in Gippsland on Thursday morning.
They particularly want to speak to anyone camping in the Donnelly Creek Road area on Thursday morning or local residents.
Police say the witness appeal is part of their ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire, which is believed to have started about 11.30am on Thursday.
It spread quickly on Friday, burning in mainly forest country, but was moving slowly on Saturday.
Authorities are preparing for a protracted fight, given the size and remote location of the blaze.
Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley has said he expects fighting the fire to be a two-week campaign, warning that if it buries itself in deep-seated bush it could again come out near the communities of Heyfield and Maffra.
Authorities had been concerned the tiny town of Licola, which has been cut off and where about 10 residents and 30 firefighters remain, may be in the path of the fire as it travels northeast.
A State Control Centre spokeswoman said late on Saturday morning the edge of the slow-moving fire was about 15km from the town but it was not under immediate threat.
A watch and act message for Licola has been downgraded to an advice alert.
Mr Lapsley said additional air resources had been placed on standby to help fight the Gippsland fires, with the Elvis aircrane out of action due to a mechanical fault.
"The slightly cooler conditions across the state, and short flight times, have allowed us to place additional resources on standby for the Gippsland fires," Mr Lapsley said in a statement on Saturday.
"We will monitor the situation, including lightning strikes that occurred in the northeast overnight, before determining where and when the additional resources will be deployed."
There are 14 aircraft, 70 trucks and more than 270 personnel working on the Gippsland fires.
Police say nine properties have been lost in the Gippsland area.
Most are in or near Seaton, where five homes are believed to have been destroyed.
The body of a man was found in a burnt-out car in the Seaton area on Friday afternoon. No further details about his identity have been released.
The fire also destroyed four holiday homes or holiday shacks within a national park and a number of permanent and non-permanent dwellings at the Glenmaggie caravan park, authorities say.
Residents are not yet allowed back into the Seaton area.
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