Number of Victorian properties claimed by Grampians bushfires rises to 44

Dozens of homes have been lost in the township of Pomonal, next to the Grampians National Park. (Supplied)

The official count of properties destroyed by bushfires in Victoria’s west has risen to 44, Premier Jacinta Allan says.

Ms Allan confirmed the revised figure after authorities said yesterday that 24 homes in Pomonal and one in Dadswells Bridge had been lost.

“People who know that beautiful part of the Grampians know that Pomonal is a little community so that is a significant proportion – perhaps as much as half of the town has experienced loss,” she told ABC Radio Melbourne.

Ms Allan could not provide a breakdown of the types of properties destroyed, although the ABC is aware of homes and sheds that have been razed.

Record calls to Victoria Police during fires, storms

On Thursday afternoon, residents were able to return to their properties for the first time.

Emergency services are still assessing damage in the area.

Ms Allan said police had received the highest number of calls “ever” on Tuesday and the “fourth-highest ever for emergency services”.

Screenshots of internal records revealed at one point on Tuesday, more than 100 callers who contacted the State Emergency Service (SES) faced wait times of up to 22 minutes.

At times, those contacting police faced waits of up to five minutes.

Additional resources were called in to support emergency services and assist with the volume of requests for help.

Some residents in impacted areas said they were unable to make triple-0 calls with phone lines down and widespread power outages.

Ms Allan said the issue needed to be addressed across the country.

“We do need to take this at a broader level because we saw the same thing coming out of Queensland with the cyclone events before Christmas,” she said.

“The telecommunication companies do need to recognise that they have an essential role … and also need to be prepared and part of a coordinated response.”

As of Friday morning, 33,000 customers were still without power.