Western Australia bushfires: homes reportedly lost and thousands told it is too late to leave | Western Australia

At least four homes have been burnt down as large bushfires sweep Australia’s west, with thousands of residents told it is too late to leave their properties

Hot weather and strong winds have fuelled several bushfires in Western Australia, including one in the Wheatbelt region that has burnt about 11,000ha.

Three properties were lost near Arthur River, about 200km southeast of Perth, while another property near Yellanup, 170km to the south, was also destroyed, ABC News reported on Saturday, with more properties under threat.

Emergency WA told residents in Arthur River it was too late to evacuate and that people should act immediately as lives and homes were threatened.

Authorities said 638 homes and businesses were without power after the fire affected supply.

An act immediately warning was issued for Reef Beach in Bremer Bay on the state’s south coast.

The fire, started by lightning on Friday morning, had burnt 800ha and was yet to be contained.

A 40,000-hectare bushfire in the state’s central region was the subject of a number of watch-and-act warnings, although the alerts were downgraded as conditions improved.

The blaze was reported at 7pm on Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued extreme heatwave warnings for the Goldfields and the southern interior districts.

Severe heatwave warnings were also in place across much of southern and inland WA.