Farmer dies fighting fire near West River as blazes rage across Western Australia

More than 4,000 hectares have burned so far and a bushfire watch and action remains active for people bounded by the South Coast Highway, Lake Road, Mallee Road, Fitzgerald Road and Koornong Road in the West River and West Fitzgerald in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup.

The fire is slowly moving in a northeast direction and is being brought under control, but not under control.

About 60 firefighters are working to stop the fire from spreading, and about 30 surrounding homes and properties have been without power.

‘God, I hope it’s not mine’: Geraldton man describes the moment he learned his house was on fire

Meanwhile, a West Australian man described feeling helpless as he watched from behind barricades as his home was destroyed by an out-of-control bushfire on Monday.

More than 200 firefighters worked over the weekend and Monday to contain the fires in the town of Geraldton, about five hours’ drive north of Perth.

The extent of fires in the Mid-West region has been reduced as conditions ease and emergency services are assessing the damage.

Nick Morgan spoke to ABC Radio on Tuesday morning and said he first became aware of the fire while he was out of town.

“I was about an hour’s drive south and I got a call saying there was a fire emergency,” he said.

“I thought, ‘This is bad,’ and went back to town.

“When I came back, everything was locked. I couldn’t even get to my house. I couldn’t even get in and help fight or take things out.”

Tragically, Morgan said her pet cat was trapped inside when the fire ripped through her home.

She said the moment she found out her house was gone on Monday morning was “devastating”.

“We were listening to the radio… a caller said someone [on my street] They lost their home because the fire spread to the palm tree.

“I thought, ‘I have palm trees at my house. God, I hope they’re not mine.’

“After a while the phone rang, the police were trying to contact me, the district was trying to contact me and they confirmed my location was going up.

“It’s a mix of shock, disbelief, nothing has quite sunk in right now. It’s completely destroyed. It’s destroyed. There’s not much that can be salvaged from this.”

While Morgan’s home was the only property lost in the fire, firefighters were able to rescue another 600 people from the fire path.

Bushfire warnings remain in place for the suburbs of Geraldton and wider areas including Bluff Point, Spalding, Sunset Beach, Waggrakine and Moresby.

The Arson Squad, Fire and Emergency Services Department investigators and local Geraldton detectives are investigating the fires, which are believed to have been deliberately lit.

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Waggrakine Primary School will remain closed as a precaution.

Evacuation centers at the QEII Senior and Community Center and Northam Recreation Center were closed.

While Tuesday’s fire danger rating remained high, firefighters said they were able to contain the fires and reopen roads to traffic.