Man dies in Australian wildfire, 27 houses lost

Perth: A man has died fighting a wildfire that razed wooded hills near Australia`s west coast city of Perth, destroying at least 27 houses.

Flames prevented paramedics from reaching the man who collapsed on the roof of his home in suburban Hovea on Perth`s eastern fringe yesterday. The ambulance service said he died at the scene while attempting to protect his house.
It was not immediately clear if the house was destroyed. The state fire service said in a statement today that 27 homes had been confirmed destroyed, adding that "this number is expected to increase as damage assessments continue."
The service said two fire-fighters were treated for heat exhaustion yesterday.
About 150 firefighters today continued to fight the blaze.