DOZENS of families fled the fire zone and took refuge at the Cardinia Cultural Centre.
About 30 people slept at the venue on Saturday night and more went through its doors over the weekend.
Denise and Rob Saunders and their four daughters were among those to camp out at the centre after evacuating their Drouin home.
Mrs Saunders said there was no way she was staying at home with a five-month-old baby.
“We went to Fountain Gate to escape the heat … we hoped that we’d be able to go home that night with the cool change,” she said.
“It’s hard to stay when you’ve got young kids.”
Adam Khan, owner of Khan’s Hospitality Services, said 18 firefighters also slept at the Cardinia Cultural Centre on Saturday night where they showered and were treated to egg and bacon sandwiches.
Mr Khan said there were up to 50 people at the venue at any one time.
“For us it’s a community need; it just has to be done,” he said.
Mr Khan said the centre received numerous phone calls since opening its doors on Saturday.
“The response from the community has been thrilling,” he said.