More than 400,000 hectares are burning across Victoria. Photo: HANDOUT / FOREST FIRE MANAGEMENT VICTORIA / AFP
Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) has received a formal request for assistance from its Australian counterparts.
Out of control bush fires in Victoria have killed one person and destroyed hundreds of buildings in the past week.
Many districts in the state are under a state of disaster as more than 400,000 hectares burn.
A FENZ spokesperson said the request came in over the weekend and has been approved.
They said a team of fire-fighters trained for arduous conditions was being put together.
Australia's government has confirmed it has also formally asked for firefighting assistance from the United States and Canada.
'Incredibly tough'
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has updated the situation this afternoon, talking to reporters in Natimuk, where fires have devastated the local community and resulted in dozens of properties being lost in the area.
"There's something like 30 homes that have been lost, and many more structures have been impacted," Allan said.
Allan paid tribute to CFA volunteers, who made personal sacrifices for the community.
"They weren't here to protect their own home because they were out protecting others, and that's incredibly tough," she said.
Allan acknowledged the death of a person in the Longwood fire, with human remains found at Gobur yesterday.
Police said they were able to access the fire-affected region on Sunday afternoon and discovered the remains about 100 metres from the vehicle.
"My thoughts and condolences are with that person's family, their loved broader community too, and indeed, as we were talking yesterday, everyone across the emergency services and fire affected communities felt that loss when we heard the news," Allan said.
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said today's weather conditions were more favourable than they have been in the past few days.
"Whilst the conditions are easing in some parts of the state, even the slightest of winds are still causing those fires to move around," he said.
He says there were still 12 major fires in the state.
- RNZ / ABC
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