Firefighter's car stolen while he is at the scene of a blaze

A fireman on the scene of a fire in Western Australia has had his car stolen by a heartless thief.

The man was attending the blaze at Wellesley, 30 minutes north of Bunbury, when his keys were stolen between 5:30am and 5:55am on Thursday morning.

Sen. Sgt Mark Smith, from Australind police told The West Australian he was disgusted by the act.

“The people who do this type of thing are parasites,” he said.

“They’ve preyed on the people who are out there trying to make us safe.”

One person on Facebook said the vehicle was filled with tools, and that the man had dedicated 30 years of his life to community work.

In a statement, WA Police confirmed the man was a volunteer firefighter who was talking with his colleagues and coordinating a response to the fire when the car was stolen.

Police allege the car thief was a man armed with a bladed weapon.

The vehicle has since been found abandoned approximately 20km away, and a man is in custody assisting with the investigation.