(CNN) -- As residents returned Tuesday to Western Australia neighborhoods where fierce bushfires destroyed dozens of homes, state officials announced they would donate $1 million to a relief fund for victims.
"I have seen firsthand the devastation these bushfires caused. At many of the properties I saw, there was simply nothing left," West Australia Premier Colin Barnett said in a statement.
Those who lost their homes will immediately receive $3,000 from the government, he said.
The raging flames damaged or destroyed at least 68 structures, Western Australia's fire authority said.
Heather Murphy's home was among them, but many of her neighbors' houses were unscathed. She wept as she saw the charred shell for the first time Monday night. CNN
