A massive evacuation from NSW, being dubbed one of the biggest in Australia's history is still ongoing, as motorists are being dragged out of NSW's south coast before extreme fire conditions kick in tomorrow.

Tens of thousands of people have fled from the state's fire-ravaged region and, elsewhere in the state, there's a 10am deadline for people to leave Kosciuszko National Park.

Smoke rises from wildfires burning in East Gippsland, Victoria as thousands of people attempt to flee the area. Photo /DELWP Gippsland via AP

A bushfire is expected to hit the 1300-strong township of Batlow as other NSW communities prepare for extreme conditions.

All people in the Snowy Valley town were ordered to leave by Thursday night, with the 130,000-hectare Dunns Road fire expected to hit on Friday afternoon.

Overnight the state's RFS said emergency services have started escorting vehicles northbound up the Princes Highway, between Milton and Nowra.

It's a journey that should normally take 90 minutes, but instead it's taking up to seven hours — with fuel, food and water in short supply in the region.

Police overnight were escorting 100 cars at a time, but one convoy was halted midway due to dangerous trees.

Bega MP and Transport Minister Andrew Constance, who managed to save his house from the fire that tore through Malua Bay, said it was the "largest relocation of people out of the region in history".

"It's going to be a blast furnace," Constance told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Wildfires burn in East Gippsland in Victoria. Tens of thousands of people are being evacuated from New South Wales's south coast as the fire threat grows. Photo / DELWP Gippsland via AP

Very high fire danger is forecast for districts on or immediately west of the Great Dividing Range, while Saturday is expected to be severe or extreme across most of the state's southeast.

More than 100 fires are still burning across the state, with many of the most dangerous in the southeast.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday declared a week-long state of emergency from today until January 9.

"We don't take these decisions lightly," she said.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed the number of missing people in Victoria has jumped to 28.

He said he was “saddened” to update the figure, which had been sitting at 17 since yesterday.

“It remains the case that two people can be confirmed as having lost their lives,” Mr Andrews said.

“There are two deceased persons. I'm still not in a position to provide you with further information about the second of those deceased persons.

“As soon as we can give you more information about that individual, we will do that. But of course, we have grave fears for the safety and wellbeing of those 28 people who cannot be located.”

The first victim of the East Gippsland bushfires to be identified was Mick Roberts, a 67-year-old great-grandfather and town “larrikin” found dead inside his Buchan home.

The Premier said a number of people “who were part of the original 17” missing were located yesterday.

“There’s been some other people who we’ve not even been able to necessarily determine as being missing, who have never made it onto a list, but have become known to family and friends only very recently after a period of absence,” he said.

“These numbers will move around. That’s the nature of a very dynamic fire ground.”

Mr Andrews, who last night made an “unprecedented” state of disaster declaration for six local government areas and three alpine resorts in Victoria, reiterated the message: “If you can leave, you must leave.”

“For your safety and the safety of others,” he said.

 

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has called for a national response to the bushfires and has questioned why it is taking so long for a meeting of the National Security Committee to be held.

In a press conference, Mr Albanese questioned why the committee was meeting in several days time, on Monday.

"I'm not quite sure why it takes that long, as a former member of the National Security Committee, to convene a meeting like that.

"It can be convened of course, by it's very nature, on very short notice."

He also thought the failure of COAG, a meeting of state and federal leaders, to meet until March was "not a circumstance which, in my view, is justifiable".

Mr Albanese said he had been calling for months for constructive action to be taken, including for a scheme to support volunteer firefighters after visiting areas like Lismore in NSW, where firefighters were desperate for some form of economic compensation.

When asked whether Australian Defence Force resources were being used effectively, he said his only concern was that "people have to ask for support" and there was not a more proactive approach, which could happen through COAG.

He said the scale of the evacuation was from a region bigger than most countries in Europe.