As bushfire ash fell from the sky, Pomonal residents Sue Macaffer and her husband Colin were both struck by a sickening feeling in their gut.
They immediately knew they had to leave their home in Victoria's Grampians region as an out-of-control fire raged towards them.
"Ash fell from the sky and at that point nothing in my house mattered at all, it seemed irrelevant," Ms Macaffer told AAP.
The couple went door-to-door checking on neighbours before heading out of town.
"We stopped and looked back at the burning and thought wow this is happening, the shock of it sort of sinks in a little bit," she said.
Their house and restaurant were spared in Wednesday's blaze, but many weren't so lucky with potentially dozens of homes destroyed.
"Many of our friends have lost their houses, they're banding together, being brave but it's really hard for them," she said.
Ms Macaffer is among dozens of evacuees who sought help at a relief centre in Stawell offering food, beds and other essentials.
"You can see sadness on lots of people's faces but there's lots of big hugs going around, supporting each other," she said.
"We're just so rapt that everyone got out and everyone is safe."
There were mixed emotions at the centre as groups of families and friends gathered over cups of tea, nervously waiting to hear about the damage to their town.
One man told AAP he was happy to be safe but also worried as he had heard conflicting reports about whether his house was still standing.
Salvation Army worker Carolyn Spratling and a team of volunteers were among those offering help.
The organisation is providing almost 200 meals a day, baby supplies, toiletries and 60 beds across two centres.
"It feels great to think that you're making a difference and hopefully make their day better," Ms Spratling said.
Ms Macaffer said she was amazed by the support on offer and how the community had rallied together, particularly by leaving early enough so firefighters could focus on saving homes.
"Everyone did the right thing and for the CFA (Country Fire Authority) it was mostly a matter of saving whatever building you can, rather than saving the people in the building," she said.
"It's just blown me away how people are helping each other, it's amazing."
