An upcoming cool change set to hit an "enormous" bushfire in coastal Western Australia has raised hopes that evacuated communities can soon return home.
The immediate fire emergency has eased in the Shires of Dandaragan and Gingin, about 200 kilometres north of Perth, where a blaze sparked by a fatal car crash burned through some 79,000 hectares.
No lives or houses have been lost however the fire threat remains, with watch and act warnings for Nilgen and Mimegarra and residents told to avoid the area.
The warnings apply to those living in fishing shack villages at Grey and Wedge Island where it was not yet safe to return on Saturday evening, in addition to those in Cervantes, Cooljarloo and Nambung, where locals have been asked to monitor conditions.
WA Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said even though the fire had been downgraded, authorities still had work ahead of them.
He said there had been reports of damage to a mine site and flames had come close to Cervantes, Wedge Island and Grey but all three communities were safe.
"The (fire) site itself is enormous," Mr Dawson told reporters at Cervantes on Saturday afternoon.
Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said there was still work to do but he expected a reprieve from Sunday to Tuesday as cooler weather set in.
Parts of the area had not been burnt for seven years, he said, providing significant fuel for the fire.
"It'll see us able to really progress ahead, get some of those roads open and get people back into their homes," Mr Klemm said.
He described it as a complex firefight as authorities were confronted with limestone cave systems that prevented heavy equipment from moving in, as well as "critical" tourist and Aboriginal heritage sites that needed to be preserved.
Mr Dawson said some 39 separate fires were burning across the state as of Saturday morning.
He urged residents to stay across the latest information from authorities and prepare fire plans for both their homes and wherever they holidayed during the festive season.
"At the end of the day, residents can choose to stay in place, where they need to be prepared," Mr Dawson said.
"We urge people not to be silly.
"We'd also urge Western Australians to have a bushfire plan in place - 93 per cent of our state is bushfire prone and only two per cent of our population have a bushfire plan."
