Lives and homes are under threat in Western Australia as an out of control bushfire rages on through parts of the Chittering region, less than an hour north of Perth.
Authorities are urging residents to evacuate and have advised those who have already left to stay away, amid concern the fire threat may escalate.
Homes at Chittering, Lower Chittering, Bindoon and Mooliabeenee, north-east of Perth, are under threat from two bushfires.
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Fires in the area have already burnt through 120 hectares of land, after emergency warnings were issued yesterday.
About 120 firefighters were battling that blaze on the ground, with water bombers assisting from the air.
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Threats in the area were downgraded to Watch and Act warnings, but authorities are still urging residents to leave.
"There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching in the area and conditions are changing," an alert from Emergency WA read.
"If you are not at home, do not try to return as conditions in the area could be very dangerous."
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Meanwhile, residents in far-north Queensland are expecting a deluge of rainfall as summer thunderstorms continue to hit communities in the country's north-east.
A forecast monsoon is expected to be behind the weather event, with a surge of rain and storms expected right across northern parts of Australia, including the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.
Those areas could expect between 100 to 300 millimeters of rain over the next few days, according to Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines.
"It's not particularly out of the ordinary, but there are those areas in north Queensland and particularly north of Cairns which really bore the brunt of the severe weather associated with Tropical Cyclone Jasper back in December," he told Today.
"So some of those areas are still in recovery mode and it's not really wanted or welcome rainfall.
"It could potentially impact or set back some of those recovery efforts."
