The young boy photographed in a tiny boat trying to escape as fire hit his small East Gippsland town has recounted the 'really scary' moment the sky went dark overhead.

Finn Burns, 11, was captured in a now viral image wearing a breathing mask and piloting a tinny away from land at Mallacoota on Tuesday morning.

The photo of Finn Burns in Mallacoota , which has gone viral.

The photo was shared and reposted thousands of times on social media and appeared on the front page of Australian papers and on major international news websites, such as the BBC.

About 4000 people were forced to flee to the safety of the Mallacoota shore front on Tuesday morning, with the sky clouded with smoke and turning an eerie red hue.