Total fire ban declared

A total fire ban has been declared for much of the South West as the region's fire crews battle a Margaret River blaze which has destroyed 20 homes.

Picture from Margaret River fire by Calvin Best

More than half a dozen brigades from the South West rushed to the scene overnight and this morning Fire and Emergency Services Authority regional duty coordinator Maurie Parker assured residents the South West had not been left unprotected.

``Resource allocation has been coordinated in conjunction with the local governments ensuring that the greater Bunbury area and the South West region heading out to the Shire of Murray is well covered should an incident eventuate in this area,'' he said.

The Weather Bureau has predicted wind gusts in a north-north west direction reaching up to 60kmh in Margaret River this morning accompanied by temperatures up to 31 C.

Winds are expected to ease overnight with temperatures dropping to 23 degrees tomorrow.

Between 12.01am until 11.59pm, any activity that could start a fire is banned in the shires of Augusta-Margaret River, Busselton, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Donnybrook-Balingup, Manjimup, and Nannup.

A maximum penalty of $25,000 fine 12 months jail applies for ignoring the ban.