A parking ticket machine stolen from the Port Hedland International Airport in Western Australia and set on fire has sparked a serious bushfire.

Police said an offender used a stolen utility from the airport carpark to ram the machine, before loading it onto the back of the vehicle in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The machine was dumped on Yarrie Road and set alight, sparking a bushfire which burnt several hectares of bushland and took several hours to extinguish.

Senior Sergeant Mick Hayes said the offender caused about $160,000 in damage and $5,000 was stolen from the ticket machine.

"There's two machines, and one has been damaged and removed from its base, the other was completely removed and loaded onto a stolen vehicle," he said.

"It looks like our offender spent a considerable amount of time there.

"We have CCTV footage of him spending several hours trying to remove the machine, then being unsuccessful, stealing a car, using the car to ram both the bollards and the machine off its base and then loading it onto the ute and disappearing."

Sergeant Hayes said the fire could have been even more serious.

"At this time of the year there is a lot of fuel loading on the ground, the fire has taken a very good hold quickly, spread over many acres," he said.

"We had to shut Yarrie Road for a period of time because the winds were very fluky, very changeable and it could have gone back towards the houses out at Greenfields."

Sergeant Hayes said anyone with information should contact police.

"What we are looking for at this point is a male, six foot plus, wearing blue mine workpants, so they have the fluoro bands, work boots, gloves and a light-coloured top, a hat and something disguising the face," he said.

The stolen car was later found set alight near Osprey Village.