Posted by 
A major fire sparked by lightning has burnt through more than 200 hectares at Mandurah in Western Australia.
Flames crossed a freeway and raced toward homes, which forced residents to evacuate on Saturday.
"That fire was started by lightning, we believe," Department of Fire and Emergency Services Superintendent Ray Buchan said.
As the situation is constantly changing, visit the DFES website for the latest advice and alerts.
Firefighters said there had been no reports of any injuries but there were unconfirmed reports that some sheds had been lost.
Patients at Peel Health Campus were put on alert, with the hospital taking extra precautions.
The facility was closed on Saturday night to visitors and staff requested any non-urgent patients to the emergency department go to other medical facilities instead.
The measures have been put in place to limit the number of people on site in the event they need to evacuate.
Firefighters will continue to monitor the blaze overnight but high winds were challenging crews.
"The conditions today, with the wind we've had, the low humidity and the high temperature has really been challenging for the firefighters on the ground," Buchan said.
