Relief from ‘ferocious’ southwest WA fires

More than 1000 firefighting personnel have made inroads into four separate bushfires in Western Australia’s southwest.

WA Department of Fire and Emergency Service commissioner Darren Klemm. Picture: Getty Images

More than 1000 firefighting personnel have made inroads into four separate bushfires in Western Australia’s southwest.

The four fires were all downgraded from “emergency” to “watch and act” status on Monday after cooler conditions and some rain provided relief.

Several homes, buildings and businesses have been damaged or destroyed by the fires, which prompted evacuations and school closures across parts of the region.

WA Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the 1000 people fighting and managing the various fires had done a “tremendous” job to minimise the damage.

“These are some of the most ferocious fires that we’ve seen in Western Australia,” he said.

“Our thoughts are with all those people who’ve lost homes or sheds or property or animals over the past few days.”

The firefighting efforts have been aided by an extra air tanker and 36 firefighters who arrived from NSW.

Department of Fire and Emergency Service commissioner Darren Klemm said firefighters had been battling not just the four major bushfires, but also many other smaller forest fires.

The four major fires destroyed at least six homes, several outbuildings and burned through more than 60,000ha of land.