Emergency warning issued as fire threatens lives and homes in WA's South West — as it happened
For the latest flood and weather warnings, search on ABC Emergency
Check the score for the third Test against South Africa at the SCG
A bushfire has threatened lives and homes in Western Australia's South West region, about 220km south of Perth.
Look back on the updates as it happened.
By Shiloh Payne
This is where we'll leave our live coverage for today.
Thank you for joining us.
Here's where you can stay across the latest information:
If you need further emergency assistance, you can find it at:
By Shiloh Payne
Fire agencies recommend that you develop a bushfire survival plan.
If you decide to stay and defend your home, there are some important things to consider.
You can read our illustrated guide on defending your home against a bushfire with the link below.
By Shiloh Payne
This video was shared by local Kirstie Rowe, who took this video near Thomson Brook on the northeastern side of the firefront.
By Shiloh Payne
EnergencyWA has released its latest warning, downgrading the bushfire alert to Watch and Act.
This is due to reduced fire activity and stable weather conditions.
But the warning advised that people in the area need to keep up to date in case the situation changes.
A community meeting will be held at 4pm today at the Donnybrook Recreation Centre.
You can keep across the warnings here.
By Shiloh Payne
Emergency departments have reportedly received more people with cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.
Here's an interview from News Breakfast this morning with Greg Mullins, who is a former Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner.
By Shiloh Payne
By Bridget Judd
Australians who have been affected by prolonged wet weather caused by consecutive La Nina events are being warned not to dismiss the dangers of bushfires.
Long term forecasts issued by the Bureau of Meteorology suggest Australia could be about to enter a more prolonged period of hot and dry conditions.
Climate councilor and former NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins says the relentless wet weather has provided huge fuel loads.
"1975 after a triple La Nina there were 119 hectartes nationally because the red centre went green, then brown, then burned," he says.
"If we head into an El Nino pattern where it gets hot and dry, anything could happen."
By Shiloh Payne
A new bushfire alert has been issued by Western Australia's authorities, but the advice remains the same as the earlier alert.
To reiterate:
An emergency bushfire warning is in place for people in the area bounded by Brookhampton Road to the north, South West Highway to the west, Kirup-Grimwade Road to the south and Thompson Brook Road to the south in:
By Shiloh Payne
Here's what it looks like:
By Shiloh Payne
Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services has put together this video to show you exactly where you need to look to find the latest emergency information.
To find your local ABC, you can search your postcode here.
By Bridget Judd
By Bridget Judd
The C130 Hercules Large Air Tanker, which is stationed at Busselton, has been brought in to fight the blaze.
"Crews are still working quite hard to build containment lines around the fire and we are hoping to update warnings in the near future," DFES Incident Controller Peter Thomas says.
"Luckily it's not a huge amount [of homes affected] at the moment. It's a small number of rural properties in the Thompson Brook area that it's impacting on."
By Bridget Judd
Annette Webster snapped this photo from her property in Donnybrook.
About 100 volunteer and Parks and Wildlife Service firefighters are battling the blaze.
By Bridget Judd
An emergency warning is in place for Brookhampton Road to the north, South West Highway to the west, Kirup-Grimwade Road to the south and Thompson Brook Road to the east in southern parts of Thomson Brook, Brookhampton, Grimwade, Kirup, Mullalyup, Newlands, Noggerup and Upper Capel.
Travel in a northerly direction on the South West Highway towards Donnybrook
Enact your Bushfire Survival Plan and stay/defend or leave
By Bridget Judd
The ban is in place for —
Midwest Gascoyne Region
Perth Metropolitan Region
Goldfields Midlands Region
South West Region
By Bridget Judd
As firefighters in the state's South West battle the Donnybrook blaze, emergency services in northern WA are urging residents to take action now for major flooding in parts of the Kimberley.
By Bridget Judd
Brendan Mooney, the Department of Communities regional executive director in the South West, says eight people used the facility overnight.
"There are a couple of family groups and another person. Some of those have now moved on, either to family [or] friends," he told ABC Radio Perth.
“It’s pretty quiet down there at the moment. I understand there’s one person there at the moment.
“The centre’s there for anyone in the affected area that needs it, but of course a lot of people will choose to stay with family and friends where they’ve got that option."
Mr Mooney says those coming to the evacuation centre should bring ID if possible, alongside essentials like medications and a phone charger.
"The other important thing is that we can’t have pets actually in the centre, so people should make some other arrangements for those wherever possible.”
By Bridget Judd
Candice Lavis shared these photos with ABC South West yesterday, which show smoke billowing in the distance.
As a reminder, an emergency warning has been issued for southern parts of Thomson Brook, Brookhampton, Grimwade, Kirup, Mullalyup, Newlands, Noggerup and Upper Capel in the Shire of Donnybrook.
By Bridget Judd
By Bridget Judd
It covers areas bounded by South West Highway to the east, Upper Capel Road to the west and south and Goldfields Road to the north in Brazier, Brookhampton, Kirup, Newlands and Upper Capel in the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup.
An additional bushfire watch and act is in place for people in an area bounded by Thomas Brook Road to the west, Preston Road to the east, Grimwade Road to the south and Forrest Road to the north in Grimwade, Kirup, Noggerup, Thomson Brook in the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)