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WA bushfire almost under control

A bushfire that has killed two men and destroyed 162 houses in WA's South West has been almost completely contained.

Firefighters have almost completely contained a deadly bushfire in Western Australia's South West, more than a week after it was sparked by lightning.

A change in weather conditions helped firefighters hold back the fire on Wednesday night, as it threatened lives and homes in Waroona and Cookernup after it jumped containment lines.

The fire, which has already killed two men and destroyed more than 71,000 hectares, was downgraded on Thursday morning to an advice warning after a change in wind direction.

The bushfire is now stationary and 90 per cent contained, according to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, which is working to build and strengthen containment lines.

The perimeter of the fire, which has destroyed 162 houses, is now more than 320 kilometres.

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The town of Yarloop remains closed after it was almost completely destroyed in the bushfire.

The region's milk producers, who were forced to dump thousands of litres of milk when the fire forced the closure of most major roads to Perth, say they lost two or three days of production.

In a statement posted to social media, Brownes Dairy said seven of the 15 dairy farms affected by the bushfires supplied milk to the company.

A spokesman for Woolworths said on Wednesday their supply of Harvey Fresh milk had been interrupted, but the supermarket was able to maintain stocks of several other brands.

"We are watching the situation closely and anticipate supply to improve over the next few days," the spokesman said.

The Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund for the fire victims stood at almost $2.3 million on Thursday morning.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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