Tributes flow for much-loved farmer and local politician killed fighting WA bushfire

A well-known, much-loved farmer and deputy shire president has died fighting bushfires in Western Australia's south.

When a blaze threatened his property in West River, near Ravensthorpe, about 540 kilometres south-east of Perth, Mark Mudie jumped into his front-end loader to try to carve a fire break.

But something went tragically wrong and the 59-year-old was killed when the fire engulfed his vehicle just metres from the road on which he lived.

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Son Nathan Mudie said his father "just got caught in the wrong situation".

"(He was) massive in the whole farming sector, the agricultural sector, he's gonna be greatly missed, especially in the community," he told ABC Radio Perth.

WA premier Roger Cook also paid tribute.

"Ravensthorpe is a tight-knit and small community, they will be impacted by this and that will have a lasting impact on their community," he said.

It was 2.20pm yesterday (5.20pm AEDT) when flames starting putting several homes under threat.

Emergency services were called when the loader was engulfed by flames but despite the efforts of paramedics, Mark died at the scene.

Police will investigate the death and prepare a report for the coroner but the fire is not considered suspicious at this stage.

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"There's no detail as to what caused this particular fire and it is being investigated," Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia said.

Mark was a community focused man and the local shire paid tribute online to his family and friends.

"The Shire of Ravensthorpe is devastated by the death of a local man at the West River fire yesterday afternoon," it said.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and also all emergency services still working on the fire."

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Mark's family is grieving a life lost and what could have been.

"Mum and dad had just built a beautiful house in Denmark, just, just finished the last 4 or 5 months ago," Nathan said.

"And that was his plan to sort of take, take a step back and, yeah, do less farming and enjoy, enjoy his retirement a lot more with my mum."

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The fire has spread across 300 hectares of farmland.

Mark's death came as fire authorities battled bushfires in mid-western WA, driven by scorching temperatures and high winds.

The Bureau of Meteorology today issued an extreme fire danger warning for the Midwest Inland, Yarra Yarra, Mortlock, Avon, Lockwood, Roe and Esperance Coast fire districts.

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