Firies praised as WA bushfires downgraded

Relieved residents in Western Australia's south are counting themselves lucky after being spared by "frightening" bushfires that destroyed at least one home.

Rain came overnight to the aid of firefighters who have been valiantly battling dozens of bushfires in and around the city of Albany since Thursday.

Emergency warnings for Redmond, Marbelup, Elleker and parts of Napier were downgraded on Saturday morning after rain helped suppress the blazes.

Homes and lives were no longer in danger but authorities warned there was a lot of smoke in the area and residents should stay aware in case the situation changed.

Premier Mark McGowan thanked firefighters and volunteers for their efforts during a visit to Albany on Saturday.

He said it was "very fortunate" no one was killed or seriously hurt, and that more properties weren't lost during the fires.

"And I put that down to all levels of the firefighting capacity working together so effectively," the premier told PerthNow.

Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington described vision of the fires as "absolutely frightening", with winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour fanning flames.

"We're just so lucky we didn't have any fatalities," Mr Wellington told AAP on Saturday.

Mr Wellington said crews were "stretched to the limit" on Thursday when about 50 fires were burning at the same time.

It's been suggested some of the fires were caused by burns on private land that escaped control lines in unfavourable conditions.

The mayor said landowners needed to take heed of warnings and be aware of the consequences.

"If it doesn't happen to suit your purpose, well that's tough. You need to take heed of the warnings that are there."