A 34-year-old farmer in Western Australia died after a tree fell on his car while he was helping fire crews fight a large bushfire. The accident happened on Old Ongerup Road in Mindarabin, about 300km southeast of Perth, at 8:10 pm on Tuesday. The tree crushed the cab of his vehicle. Police said the man was part of a local farmer response team and had been assisting with the fire that burned more than 5,000 hectares. "Sadly, he sustained critical injuries and died at the scene," a police spokesperson said. Authorities have ruled out suspicious circumstances and will prepare a report for the coroner. This is the second bushfire-related death in WA in recent weeks. Earlier, Ravensthorpe shire’s deputy president, Mark Mudie, died on December 1 while trying to build a fire break on his property. Firefighters have been battling several emergency-level fires this week in southern WA. These fires were sparked by dry lightning during hot, dry, and windy conditions. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe heatwave warnings for areas including Goldfields, Eucla, South Interior, South Coastal, and Great Southern regions. Across Australia, heatwave alerts are also active for parts of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria. Victoria’s Country Fire Authority (CFA) declared a total fire ban for the Wimmera region due to expected temperatures in the low 40s and moderate winds. CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said, "Tomorrow’s conditions will make it difficult for firefighters to suppress a fire should one start." He urged farmers to delay paddock work to avoid fire ignitions, noting recent large agricultural fires involving crops and hay. Strong, gusty winds raise the risk even further.