Desperate evacuees have been forced to steal from petrol stations and convenience stores after a series of devastating bushfires caused power outages.

The South Coast of New South Wales has been ravaged by fires within the last week that have caused hundreds of families to evacuate their homes.

Sue Mazzuoli a shopkeeper from Sussex Inlet, on the state's South Coast said people were stealing food off shelves because ATMs weren't working and people had no money.

In other towns, people were filling up their cars and driving off without paying as they had no cash to spend.

Locals line up outside an IGA supermarket in Batemans Bay in the hope of stocking up on supplies before temperatures rise to 46C on Saturday, causing catastrophic weather

The line to the store stretched out the door, with many people desperate to buy what they can

Ms Mazzuoli, who runs her own grocery store said her town had turned into 'chaos' as holidaying families were taking up resources that locals desperately needed.

'They were stealing from the supermarket because they had to feed the family and they had no money,' shopkeeper Sue Mazzuoli told A Current Affair.

'People were just panicking, especially the kids, the kids were just really worried.'

She said that due to so many travellers trying to leave the area and the power outage, fuel was almost impossible to come by.

'You can't access petrol, gas ran out, chaos at the supermarket,' she said.

She said the power is expected to be out until Saturday, forcing her son to drop off emergency supplies in the form of a gas bottle, a fridge, a generator and a jerry can of fuel.

Sue Mazzuoli, (pictured) who runs her own grocery store said her town had turned into 'chaos' as holidaying families were taking up resources that locals desperately needed

In a petrol station in Batemans Bay, drivers were forced to wait hours until they could receive fuel only to find out the ATMs were down.

The manager of the petrol station, James Latta, told 7 News around one in eight drivers were driving off without paying, saying it was completely 'unfair'.

'(They) couldn't be lower. It's terrible at this time of year with what's going on, they're taking advantage of these nice people, it's disgusting,' one resident said.

In a petrol station in Batemans Bay, (pictured) one in eight drivers were leaving the station without paying as the ATM machines were down

Police told the manager to close the store but despite numerous people stealing fuel, he decided to keep it open.

On Thursday in the town of Bermagui, around three hours south of Sussex Inlet, Mayor Kristy McBain told residents they needed to leave immediately as fires close in.

The town's local supermarket closed at midday on Thursday after it ran out of fresh food, leaving some residents without anything at all.

Residents have been told to evacuate areas of the South Coast as bushfires close in but many were stealing food off the shelves of supermarkets as a power outage caused ATMs to break down

At a petrol station in Bermagui, drivers were forced to queue for four hours as they waited for a generator to drive the fuel pumps.

'I feel like I'm a refugee in my own country,' one Bermagui resident told 7 News.

Another 91-year-old resident, Ted Hutt said he was determined to stay in his home despite warnings to leave.

He had missed the cut off for the grocery store and was unable to buy food for himself and his 92-year-old wife.

Cars were stuck in queues for hours as residents desperately tried to flee the South Coast

More than 1,400 homes have been destroyed and hundreds of residents have been forced to evacuate across the country (pictured: a firefighter battling a blaze in Nowra, NSW)

Those living in and visiting Bermagui as well as several other towns along the South Coast have been urged to head towards evacuation centres including one at Bega.

But the road out is proving just as difficult with cars being banked up for kilometres, sitting in queues for hours on end without moving.

Some managed to drive just two kilometres in three hours while others had a two-hour journey turned into nine.

Since October, violent bushfires have claimed the lives of 17 people and a further 17 are still missing in Victoria.

More than 1,400 homes have been destroyed and hundreds of residents have been forced to evacuate across the country.

On Thursday there was still more than 100 fires burning in New South Wales.