WA bushfire victims offered cash, help

Help is being offered to farmers who have in some cases lost everything to devastating bushfires in WA's south.

As victims of the deadly bushfires in Western Australia wait in evacuation centres wondering what they've lost on their properties, some practical and financial help has been offered.

Three houses in the Esperance region have been destroyed, others have been damaged, and farmers have lost machinery, sheds, crops and livestock.

Esperance farmer Mic Fels said the most pressing need was feeding surviving livestock.

Mr Fels said it was awful that 15,000 stock had been killed by the fire, but even worse were the injured animals that have to be put down.

"I know a lot of people were cutting down thousands of stock that had been injured in the fires," he told the ABC.

"That is a pretty tough thing to have to do when you've been burnt out."

The timing of the blaze couldn't be worse as grain farmers were midway through harvesting a record-breaking crop.

Rabobank acting state manager for WA Steve Kelly said the harvest was about 40 per cent complete, so it was likely a significant amount of grain had been lost.

Rabobank, Commonwealth Bank and ANZ have offered relief packages including suspending payments on loans and waiving certain fees and charges, while Bankwest has donated $25,000 to the Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund.

In the immediate term, the WA government will provide emergency grants of $3000 to people who have lost their home to help cover basic essentials.

"Obviously, that's not going to help them rebuild their home but it will help people buy immediate clothing if they need, just short-term arrangements," Premier Colin Barnett told reporters.

He said an emergency grant of $1000 was available to people whose homes had been severely damaged, while the state government would donate $100,000 to the Lord Mayor's fund.

Grain exporting giant CBH Group has set up an account so that other growers across WA can donate product for sale, with the profits going to the same fund.

The company will also inject $250,000 into the fund.

"CBH will also waive any freight fees on the donated grain," chief executive Andy Crane said.

WAFarmers is working with the Shire of Esperance to manage a donation register for items including stock feed, clean seeds for next year's crop, agistment placements, fencing and water fittings.

The Esperance Equine Bushfire Appeal has been set up on Facebook, with cash going straight to Loffs Feed and Saddlery to bushfire-affected horse lovers.


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Source: AAP


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WA bushfire victims offered cash, help | SBS News