Nathan and Shai Trengove were sitting between two properties on Back Raglan Road, watching helicopters circle the air and fight fires in neighbouring paddocks.
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The family had a small pump hose trailer attached to their ute in an attempt to fight back the flames should it spread to their property.
Across the road, where helicopters refilled from a dam, Nathan's father's farm was burning.
Nathan held five-month-old Huxley while covered in soot and ash. He was still wearing his CFA uniform, having come back to the property after lending a hand fighting a fire in Raglan earlier today.
A moment of raw emotion
He said he hasn't seen a fire burn like this one in all his time volunteering with the CFA.
"It has been hectic, just with the wind that has been starting spot fires," Nathan said.
"It is just one of those days."
Once the fire passed, Nathan was keen to get out on the truck and get back to the fire front.
Shai said she knows many in Beaufort who were helping fire fighting efforts using pump trailers.
"Anyone in town with a pump is out trying to help protect what we have," she said.
A steady stream of fire trucks were heading towards the fireground down the highway, including crews from Boronia, Ferntree and Upper Ferntree Gully, The Basin and Wonga Park.
As of 7.30pm, there were more than 1000 firefighters in Beaufort fighting the fire, which had burned about 6000 hectares.
How it began
The fire started about 11.30am west of Mount Cole, near the Mount Buangor State Park, and fanned by extreme weather - it was 35 degrees at Ballarat airport by 2.30pm and blowing almost 50kmh - it quickly spread over Mount Cole towards Beaufort.
The town was evacuated for likely the first time in living memory, and the Western Highway was closed from Ballarat to Ararat as spotfires erupted more than 10 kilometres from the fire.
While the State Control Centre couldn't confirm any houses had been lost, they said it was too early to tell.
A relief centre was flooded with hundreds of people at the CE Brown Reserve in Wendouree, with many bringing their animals.
A late wind change raised concerns for communities near Lexton, which faced a nervous night.
Ballarat itself was clouded with smoke and burnt leaves rained from the sky all afternoon.
It's expected there will still be firefighters working to control the fire into Friday.
