Three homes have been lost and several more properties damaged as authorities continue to battle a bushfire burning south of Perth.
An emergency warning remains in place for parts of the shires of Waroona and Murray, including Blythewood, Coolup, Meelon, Nanga Brook, Oakley, Teesdale and Waroona.
A watch and act alert also remains in place for the areas surrounding the emergency warning zone.
DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm confirmed the three homes, and another five short-stay accommodation units, had been destroyed by the fire.
Mr Klemm said the five units were all chalet-style buildings on a single property, where the main home had avoided any damage.
"For those families that have lost their homes, we will be reaching out and providing the support required," he said.
"The fact no lives have been lost is testament to the hard work of our firefighters, and the strategic use of aircraft to fight this fire."
The fire, which ignited on Saturday, has burnt through 3,000 hectares of bush and farmland.
It is continuing to burn slowly in a westerly direction and is yet to be contained or controlled.
Mr Klemm said the source of the fire had been traced to a campsite in the area.
"From what I understand, [a group of campers] were trying to recharge phones and the like off their car battery," he said.
"And something has gone awry with that."
The commissioner said 160 career and volunteer firefighters would continue working around the clock to fight the fire.
Six fixed-wing water bombers and six helitaks have also been providing aerial support during the fire fight.
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Wind change to test crews
Speaking in Waroona on Monday afternoon, DFES incident controller Sven Andersen said a change of wind would test fire crews this afternoon.
"We've been going 24/7 since the start," he said.
"Early this morning there was a breakout and we've just managed to pull that up within a track — we're fairly confident we can hold it in there.
"It's been a massive effort, it's a significant win.
"We're about 70 per cent contained ... the northern side is fully tractored, but we're expecting to be able to manage that."
Speaking from Perth, Premier Roger Cook said his and the government's thoughts were with those dealing with the devastation.
"Our hearts go out to that community, and we want people to remain vigilant."," Mr Cook said.
While crews had some success fighting the flames, a breakout around 4am on Monday had kept crews busy before air suppression helped bring the flare-up under control.
"All in all, things are looking a lot better than they were yesterday afternoon," Mr Andersen said.
"But there's still a lot of work to do."
Suppression and containment efforts are expected to be focused on the south-west corner of the fire zone, near where the breakout occurred.
DFES told a community meeting in Waroona on Monday that strong containment lines had been established along other sections of the fire's 50km boundary using a variety of methods.
Rough terrain prevented the use of heavy machinery in some areas, with firefighters heading in on foot to remove vegetation and other potential fuel.
Loading...Near miss for locals
Residents have praised the work of firefighters, with flames burning close to properties throughout the fire zone overnight.
Farmer John Mckay said the flames had burned through about 400 hectares on his property, around 20km north of Waroona.
But he said he had not lost any infrastructure or livestock so far.
"The wind was blowing it straight towards our place; there's a lot of bushlands here so it was immediately very scary.
"My daughter's house is on our [farm], we had to evacuate her out of there. It was right in the firing line."
Mr Mckay said the fact the home was still standing was down to the work of local firefighters.
"The fire crew stayed by the house, I could see them across the valley," he said.
"They've been fantastic, a lot of local helpers have come with their units.
"It's inaccessible country; one road in, one road out. They have just been incredible."
Waroona locals Debbie Woodley and Nigel Johns live at the bottom of a hill water bombers have focused on all morning.
"We got every faith in the fire brigade and DFES, they're hitting it hard," Ms Woodley said.
"We've had the sprinklers going around the outside of the house, Nigel's cut an extra break in … you can only do as good as you can."
Large plumes of smoke could be seen bellowing from the hill just behind their home.
"I think [when] we start seeing flames, it's time to go," Mr Johns said.
Former Olympic pole vaulter Emma George and her father both have properties north-east of Waroona.
"The thing I'm most grateful for is that the firefighters and neighbours got my dad out alive and that there was no loss of life," she said.
"You can replace buildings, but you can't replace life."
While her property survived, her neighbour wasn't as lucky.
"He was fighting the fire until it came down the hill, and then he had to get in his car and go," she said.
"It was really sad."
The area is popular with campers and hikers, but all campgrounds and recreational sites have been closed for the duration of the fire.
The Munda Biddi and Bibbulmun tracks are closed between Dwellingup and Driver Roads, while Waterous and Nyingarn Bidi Trails are also closed.
An evacuation centre for residents impacted by the fire has been set up at the Murray Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Pinjarra.
Visit Emergency WA, call DFES on 133 337, follow DFES on Twitter or listen to ABC Local Radio to stay up to date.
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2024-03-25 07:56:39Z
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