Bridgetown in Western Australia's south-west has been evacuated due to an emergency level bushfire that local authorities fear has destroyed property.
Residents were urged to leave Bridgetown and head to the nearby town of Manjimup on Saturday afternoon.
Some fear their homes have been lost.
At least 200 people were at the evacuation centre in Manjimup.
The town's hospital was evacuated, as was an aged care home, with patients sent to Manjimup and Pemberton.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Service's duty commissioner Rick Curtis said the fire escalated rapidly on Saturday afternoon.
He said there were reports of affected properties to the north and north-east of the town, but stressed it was too soon to assess the extent of the damage.
"It's still a moving feast, and very dynamic, we're a long way from being out of the woods.
"As the fire continues to escalate, providing information to residents [about impacted properties] takes time.
"While I understand that's incredibly frustrating when you don't know if your property is impacted or not … community meetings and talking to our staff are the quickest way of finding that out."
Late on Saturday night, the emergency warning area had increased and the nearby town of Hester was also under threat.
Western Power said the fires caused almost 3,000 homes to lose power in the South West and Great Southern regions.
The emergency area is bounded by the South Coast Highway to the south. Sunrise Road to the east, Scotsdale Road to the north and the existing fire ground to the west.
The fire started near the intersection of Hester Cascades Road, and South Western Highway in Hester Brook.
The Bureau of Meteorology's James Ashby said that Saturday's temperatures hit a top of 41 degrees Celsius in Bridgetown.
"It's really worrying conditions for bushfires unfortunately," he said.
However the weather bureau says conditions are due to ease on Sunday with a top of 27C and a little rain expected.
Bridgetown Caravan Park manager, Con, said his park was in the watch-and-act area, and most of the guests had left.
He said the caravan park was without power, as was the town.
He said people had come from the emergency warning area, to seek shelter at the park.
"They were white with shock," he said.
But he said atmosphere in the town was surprisingly calm, with winds having dropped.
