The fires close to the Western Australian capital Perth began on Wednesday and come after a heatwave aided several other blazes in the state, including one which killed three men whose vehicles were engulfed in flames on Monday.

The state's Fire and Emergency Services Authority said the fires in the Perth hills had destroyed four homes and some livestock but were now contained.

An estimated 1,000 hectares of land have been burnt.

'Crews are working to consolidate containment lines and mopping up will continue for the rest of the day and into the night,' it said in a statement.

The authority said 160 firefighters were involved in the operations.

Elsewhere in the country, emergency officials in the southeastern state of Victoria said three fires sparked by lightning strikes on New Year's Day were close to being contained. -- AFP