Hope and fear at Wendouree's fire relief centre

Ballarat council workers, state government staff, the Red Cross and paramedics are here to help people.

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Hundreds of people have gone to Wendouree's CE Brown Reserve to find shelter and relief as immense fires bear down on towns west of Ballarat.

Jan Carson only moved to Raglan three weeks ago.

"I haven't really had time to think about anything, you can't muck around and decide to take this or that - we took our babies, our two cats, and got in the car just went," she said.

"I've still got an aviary full of budgies - but we've got each other.

"Everyone's been wonderful, helping each other out, which is the way it should be."

She had been out at bowls when the alerts came through, and her husband quickly grabbed their important documents.

"They got onto it pretty quickly, you could see it, but we didn't think it was going to be like it is," she said.

"I only hope it hasn't been man-lit - if they do that, they should be thrown on the fire themselves."

Another resident from near Raglan, Suzanne Arndt, said she had been in Ballarat earlier this morning before heading back to Beaufort to grab her pets.

"I'm shaky, I'm teary, I'm nervous - but it's good to see everyone, I've only been up here for two years but everyone's checking on each other and watching each other, relaying information and keeping each other informed," she said.

"It's just showing you what the community's really like."

Karrina and her daughter Skye arrived with chickens, bunnies, and a cat - Skye had been kept home from school because of the extreme weather, and they got their first sign something was up early when volunteers grabbed the truck from the neighbouring CFA shed.

"We came over to Ballarat, and as I was going over the road, I looked back at Mount Cole and could see some smoke - I wasn't looking at the radio or all the other things going on - so we came to Ballarat to pick up a bed and do all the usual things we were going to do, then a friend phoned up to see if we were evacuating," Karrina said.

"So we had to go back home, and we could see firetrucks heading that way, so we got back quickly and got all the animals.

"As we were leaving, they said 'you really need to evacuate', we got into Beaufort and there was no diesel (in the ute) left, and Ampol was shut because there were embers coming in the door - I thought, 'oh great, now we have to get to Ballarat almost on empty'.

"There were little spotfires all around us, it was starting to get a bit hectic."

The worst part was not knowing about her house, she said, as hundreds of firefighters rushed to defend the area.

"I'm a bit more relaxed now we're far away from it, but we're still wondering, hoping they're getting on top of it, and wondering how we can check if the house is still there," she said.

"It's a bit scary, the unknown."

The relief centre, supported by the City of Ballarat, has volunteers handing out food and water, as well as dog and cat food.

Council chief executive Evan King was spotted handing fruit out.

"This is probably the safest place at the moment for those who are being evacuated," he said.

"We're keen to help out our neighbours - they would help us out if we were in the same situation."

Pyrenees mayor Robert Vance was in the shearing shed when he first heard about the fire, and rushed to "reality" to help out.

"Stay calm and sensible, don't take unnecessary risks, remember homes can be replaced, but human lives can't," he said.

"Wendouree's the best place to be, you'll be well looked after."

Pyrenees chief executive Jim Nolan added his thoughts were with people who were in distress.

"A huge thanks to all the brigades in the CFA and other emergency services, including the City of Ballarat who are assisting us with manning and running the facility here, it's really appreciated," he said.

"We're hopeful things will improve, but we're really concerned at the moment for a number of people."

For the most up-to-date information on the fire, including relief centres and road closures, keep an eye on the VicEmergency website and app.