The number of homes lost in the Perth Hills bushfire jumped to 81 as it enters its 5th dangerous day. The still out-of-control blaze has since grown to 130km in diameter and has burned through more than 10,400 hectares since Monday as hot and windy conditions prevail. Respite may be on the way with the “heaviest rain in months” set to hit Perth over the weekend. If it’s not enough to help firefighters get on top of it, the strong winds expected to follow it could worsen conditions. As for the country’s southeast, get your brolly out… Heavy rain and storms are forecast for large parts of Victoria, South Oz, Tassie and NSW today and Saturday.