Caravan park guests in Western Australia's south have been forced to flee to the beach from an out-of-control bushfire that cut off the only road out.
Firefighters have been working around the clock for the past five days to protect lives and homes from the Northcliffe bushfire.
But despite their best efforts, the blaze has doubled since Tuesday night and has destroyed more than 58,000 hectares.
Residents in Northcliffe and the subdivisions of Parkview, Bracken Rise and Double Bridge in the Shire Manjimup have been told their town sites are "undefendable" and they must leave, advice that most have heeded.
For people in Windy Harbour, it's too late to leave. They've been told to seek shelter at the beach.
A Department of Fire and Emergency spokesman said people at Windy Harbour might have to leave by boat or helicopter.
The blaze is frequently changing direction because of wind changes. "It has been swinging around a lot," one of the 40 or so people still in Northcliffe, general store manager Graham Munro, told Fairfax radio.
"The wind is blowing away from the town at the moment, so it's pretty good, but there's still ash around.
"Yesterday for a while it was heading straight at the town ... across land that had previously been burnt, but then of course it swung around took off like a rocket for the coast again."
One house occupied by a mother and two children has officially been confirmed destroyed, while another unoccupied house has also burnt down, Shire of Manjimup president Wade DeCampo says.
The woman and children were rescued on Tuesday after they became trapped in the burning house.
Many sheds and fences have also been lost, Mr Munro said, while the Bannister Downs dairy has shut down for the time being, given restricted road access and risks to the property itself. And there are fears for the towns surrounding Northcliffe.
Pemberton, the evacuation point for Northcliffe residents some 30km away, could also soon be under threat, depending on wind direction. An advice alert has also been issued for Quinninup, northeast of Northcliffe.
About 205 firefighters and 60 support personnel are battling the blaze, which has a massive 170km perimeter. Firefighters from Victoria flown in to help with the fire will join WA's crews on Thursday.
Authorities say it could take another seven to 10 days to bring the blaze under control. Meanwhile, fire crews are battling a second bushfire emergency in the southern part of Lower Hotham in the Shire of Boddington, also in WA's south.
The fire, which started about 11am on Wednesday, is moving south fast and threatening properties immediately south and west of the Murray River. DFES has also issued watch and act alerts for people in the southern parts of Wattleup and Hammond Park in the City of Cockburn near Perth and for part of the suburb of King River on the outskirts of Albany.
Several advice alerts are also in place around the state.
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