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© unknownA bushfire burns close to a vineyard in Roleystone, near Perth.
Australia was battling a series of natural and man-made disasters as raging wildfires destroyed over 40 homes on the west coast city of Perth and Victoria was lashed by flashfloods that led to one death, while heavy thunderstorms were threatening to submerge Queensland.

The Meteorology department said heavy rains and possible flash flooding could hit parts of Brisbane, the Somerset area, Ipswich and Lockyer Valley, areas which are already reeling under the recent flooding.

Senior forecaster Rick Threlfall said a major storm was developing around the Marburg and Amberley areas, west of Brisbane, a reported by Herald Sun said quoting experts.

"That storm's not moving too far and it's produced about 40 to 50 mm (rainfall) in the last hour... with those rainfall totals flash flooding is a potential," he said.

"We've also got a storm currently heading towards Toowoomba. That's not looking too severe at the moment," he added.

Police asked people not to panic with memories of January's deadly flash flooding.

Meanwhile, Victorian state of Australia was hit by floods that lead to a death of a man who fell from his storm-damaged roof while repairing leaks.

The 54-year-old had tumbled three metres from his ladder. He was one of the 14 people to fall from roofs or ladders on the weekend.

He was then taken to hospital in a critical condition, but a hospital spokesman today said the man did not survive his injuries.

With torrential rainfall lashing the city for hours over the weekend, 13 other people suffered injuries while trying to repair damaged buildings.

In Western Australia state, a spark from an angle grinder was said to have caused one of the most devastating bushfires in the history of Perth.

The bushfire claimed dozens of homes, two schools and a bridge, and forced hundreds to evacuate.

The WA Fire and Emergency Services Authority has confirmed at least 41 homes, sheds and carports have already been destroyed, while another 19 properties have been damaged by the flames that have engulfed 440 hectares in the south-east suburbs of Roleystone and Kelmscott.

Two primary schools in the area have also reportedly been destroyed, while the Buckingham Bridge on Brookton Highway has also collapsed after being consumed by the blaze.

Meanwhile, a separate bushfire has forced more than 100 people to evacuate in the Swan Valley suburbs of Brigadoon, Baskerville, Millendon, Red Hill and Herne Hill.

No damage has yet been reported from the area, but more than 1160 hectares of bushland have been scorched.