It was very much their call, people were able to do what they wanted to do, but if they didn't have a fire plan in place then they were not encouraged to go home.
"At least it appears there have been no deaths and no loss of houses" were the words of Hepburn Shire Mayor Bill McClenaghan yesterday morning.
Offering support to those who had spent a sleepless night at the Daylesford Town Hall, Cr McClenaghan said the challenge was now to "mop up and contain this fire by Friday".
Cr McClenaghan said the shire's emergency plan had worked with people seeking refuge at the advertised emergency centres which included town halls at Daylesford, Ballan and Kyneton.
"Some people chose to stay and defend their homes and others chose to come here because they either didn't want to go home - or they couldn't," he said.
"It was very much their call, people were able to do what they wanted to do, but if they didn't have a fire plan in place then they were not encouraged to go home."
Cr McClenaghan said the Boomerang Ranch had provided bedding for 30 people at the town hall with Hepburn Health Service offering breakfast to all those who stayed.
"We also made sure everyone filled in a form and faxed that off to the Red Cross so people would know their relatives were safe.
"There are a lot of people who have been displaced temporarily."
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