Residents in Cervantes were told to “act immediately to survive”, with an evacuation centre set up at Jurien Bay Sport and Recreation Centre on Bashford Street.
About 8pm local time, the bushfire was still at an emergency level, upgraded by authorities as the fire behaviour escalated.
Crews were battling the flames from both the air and on the ground with 50 firefighters trying to contain the out-of-control blaze.
Winds up to 40km/h were making things difficult and the situation unpredictable.
The bushfire started just after 10am on Tuesday. The cause is still a mystery.
The fire has prompted an emergency warning for people in an area bounded by Lindsay Street in the north, south to Thirsty Point Lookout and east to Southern Beekeepers Nature Reserve.
People living in the Marine Fields Estate need to evacuate north on Indian Ocean Drive towards Jurien Bay.
While those south of the Cervantes Road and Indian Ocean Drive intersection need to leave in a southerly direction towards Lancelin on Indian Ocean Drive.
There is currently an extreme fire danger warning in place for a number of districts including Lesueur, which is about 50km from Cervantes.
