Ontario's Garry Harland arrived with 10 others before Christmas to help with logistics at the Ovens Incident Control Centre.

Mr Harland has taken on the role of Deputy Incident Controller, drawing on his experience managing major fires in Canada.

"We're providing support and handling some of the meetings," he said.

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"It seems we're getting busier and busier - many Australians have come to Canada and helped us several times already, and it's our turn now to reciprocate."

Mr Harland is among 20 overseas personnel working alongside DELWP and FFMVic staff, and a further 70 are on the field, hiking through Mount Buffalo to work on containment lines with the Aussies.

"With the different fuel types ... there's a bit to learn there," he said.

"The first Canadian crew on this fire arrived yesterday, so we'll get feedback in the next few days."

Mr Harland said those based from Ovens did not know the U.S. firefighters tragically killed in an air tanker crash near Cooma on Thursday.

"We've heard about it and our sympathies go out to those folks and their families," he said.

"To the best of our knowledge no one here has a direct connection to any of those people."

The season has been trying on all emergency services and Incident Controller Leith McKenzie said many working on the 102,213 hectare Abbeyard fire had been on fire fronts since November.

"Some were in Queensland and NSW before that," he said.

"We're very fortunate we've now had Canadian and American crews here assisting us and taking some of the pressure off."

Mr McKenzie said rainfall of up to 45 millimeters in some parts of the fire ground had assisted crews, but there could be flare-ups with warming weather next week.

"In the Buffalo Valley and Nug Nug area late last week, we had spot fires come off the edge of Mount Buffalo into private land; that's why the warning came out to evacuate those areas," he said.

"Some people did evacuate.

"We lost no structures; CFA and Forest Fire Management crews and aircraft crews did an amazing job.

"The fire hasn't spread any more since Sunday night, but there are still hot-spots poking up.

"Over the weekend we'll have people monitoring the fire edges.

"The area is open for business - the only road that will affect people is the one up to Mount Buffalo.

"It will be open at the ticket office at the base for the people who go into the area, but the road to Mount Buffalo will remain closed.

"The road to the south in Buffalo River will remain closed; the people who use Buffalo Dam for water-skiing still won't be able to use it this weekend."

Mr McKenzie said with weather climbing into the high 30s next week, it was too early to predict when the fire might be contained, but in the meantime the ICC was well-supported.

Mr Garland expects his team's deployment to continue into February, and said his first time Down Under was an eye-opening experience.

"I'm astonished by the forest - I love the beautiful forest you have here - it's so different from what we experience," he said.

"The driving on the left side of the road is different - we're getting used to that."

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Ongoing efforts by fire crews across the North East have allowed the Murray Valley Highway to reopen, and the Great Alpine Road is also now open to all traffic between Bruthen and Dinner Plain.

There are still several major roads closed in the area as 12 active fires continue to burn across the state, with more than 1.4 million hectares burnt this fire season in Victoria.