A man has died after his vehicle became engulfed by a bushfire in southern Western Australia, police said.
Emergency services responded to a fire threatening several homes at West River, near Ravensthorpe at around 2.20pm on Monday.
The man in his 60s was building a firebreak with a front-end loader when his vehicle was overwhelmed with flames. Police say he died at the scene.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services warned thick smoke was still blanketing the South Coast Highway and there was still a threat to lives.
Parts of the state are under a total fire ban.
A home was lost in the West Australian regional town of Geraldton as more fires burned out of control.
Detectives are investigating whether arsonists lit some of the fires that also claimed sheds and cars, and threatened hundreds of other properties, including an aged care facility.
"That is appalling behaviour, totally unacceptable and (police) are going to be focused on identifying the culprits and bringing them to justice," Papalia said.
He was also scathing of drone operators flying their aircraft near the blaze.
"There has been an incredibly concerning situation where a number of people have been operating private drones in the vicinity of the fire," he said.
"This is ridiculous behaviour, incredibly dangerous and can impede, if not endanger, the firefighting crew in those aircraft and potentially result in loss of life and infrastructure.
"It must stop."
In NSW, fires were burning in the Goulburn River National Park as well as the Hunter Valley region, following hot and dry conditions on Monday that saw dozens of fires burning.
On Monday, more than 500 firefighters and incident management personnel were deployed around the state.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
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