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A WILKINSONS Road resident prayed to the heavens to keep her house safe as she fled from an out-of-control fire in Sedgwick on Saturday.
Carmel Wilson said she left with "nothing but the car keys" after her sister-in-law Helen Dreschler phoned to tell her to leave immediately.
"I was gone in less than 10 seconds," she said.
"I was praying my house would be okay.
"I could see lots of smoke outside and after the phone call I just grabbed my car keys and left."
Ms Wilson said she was watching television when the power went out about 5.30pm.
She said she spent the night with a friend in Strathfieldsaye and was relieved to find her home still standing when she returned on Sunday.
Ms Wilson said she had lived in house for more than 30 years and had never seen a fire get so close.
"It is incredible," she said.
"It got so close to my house.
"People said the area looked like Luna Park on Saturday night."
People said the area looked like Luna Park on Saturday night.
- Carmel Wilson
Ms Wilson said she was still unsure if any of her livestock had been injured.
Another Sedgwick resident said she was at a wedding in Bendigo with her husband when they were alerted to the fire near their house.
The resident, who does not wish to be named, said the couple rushed home to fire crews fighting the blaze.
She said the fire got within 25 metres of the property, which the couple had spent the last 20 years building on their own.
"It's gone from green to brown in a short time," she said.
"If it had burnt down we would have been devastated.
"It's hard to believe it has happened - it's horrible."
The Country Fire Authority issued an emergency warning for Sedgwick, Axe Creek, Emu Creek, Harcourt North and Sutton Grange about 7.20pm Saturday.
The warning was later downgraded to a watch and act and about 8.30pm.
Sedgwick CFA incident controller Alan Roberts praised the efforts of firefighters in containing the fire and protecting homes.
"It was a really good save," he said.
"Both aerial and ground attack did a great job.
"If the fire had gone across (Harcourt North Road) and into the forest it would have gone for ages.
"The fact they caught it so quickly on such a bad day was amazing."
Mr Roberts said the Department of Primary Industries was searching for livestock on Sunday.
