A farmer in his 60s died on Monday afternoon while trying to stop a fast-moving bushfire near West River, about 500 km southeast of Perth. He was using a front-end loader to create a fire break when his vehicle caught fire. The man, believed to be a local, was battling a large blaze threatening homes near Ravensthorpe. Emergency services arrived after reports of homes under threat at 2:20 pm. The blaze burned about 300 hectares of farmland. WA Police said they would investigate the death and prepare a report for the coroner. "The cause of the fire remains under investigation but is currently not being treated as suspicious," police said. A bushfire Watch and Act warning is active for West River and West Fitzgerald, warning of possible threats to lives and homes. Firefighters are also battling fires near Geraldton, where a home was destroyed but hundreds saved. Detectives are checking if arsonists started some fires, which have destroyed sheds, cars, and threatened properties, including an aged care facility in WA's midwest.