Elderly residents evacuated as dangerous blazes burn in Perth’s south

DFES Superintendent Ray Buchan told 6PR’s Simon Etheridge the fire had taken a large run through bushland.

“It’s gone into some parts of the Kwinana industrial area last night,” he said, but crews supported by planes had managed to halt the sprint of the fire.

“We’ve got it contained, but it’s not controlled,” he said. Crews were focusing on the waste facility on the corners of Thomas and Rockingham Roads.

“Today we are developing strategies that will hopefully allow to control and contain that fire in the tip and reduce the impact on the Kwinana industrial area,” Superintendent Buchan said.

A bushfire emergency warning is still current for Kwinana for an area bounded by Anketell Road to the north, McLaughlan Road to the east, Thomas Road to the south and out to the coast, with people living near The Spectacles, Orelia, Medina, the Naval Base, Postans, Kwinana Beach and Hope Valley warned they need to act immediately to survive.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said it was too late to leave for people bounded by Beard Street to the north, Rockingham Road to the east, Thomas Road to the south and the coast.

Others within the warning area are urged to leave.

At the latest alert just before 6.30am the Kwinana fire was moving slowly in a westerly direction.

A number of roads including Rockingham Road from Mason Road to Anketell Road, Thomas Road from Rockingham Road to Orelia Ave and Abercrombie Road between Anketell Road and Thomas Road have been closed.

A blaze in Gosnells, which saw about 150 residents of an aged care facility in Martin evacuated late on Sunday night, has been brought under control with residents asked simply to stay alert and be mindful of fire crews in the area. There are reports the fire caused some damage to the facility.

Firefighters managed to contain a blaze near Rockingham, which started about 1am on Monday and sparked calls for residents near Lake Richmond to evacuate.

But firefighters are bracing for yet another dangerous day, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a severe weather warning, bringing easterly winds gusts of up to 90km/h on another hot day when the mercury is set to reach 34 degrees in the Perth metropolitan area.

“Obviously the wind…with the temperature as well… we have the double whammy effect of wind and temperatures,” Superintendent Buchan said.

“We are concerned about the weather, yesterday the winds were quite dynamic, which was quite challenging for us.”

The warning is in place for the Perth metropolitan area and part of the Great Southern.

The Bureau of Meteorology has advised a strong high pressure system to the south of the state will result in a surge of strong easterly winds across the Darling Escarpment and foothills.

Damaging winds averaging 50 to 60 km/h with peak gusts of up to 90 km/h are possible about the hills and foothills in the Lower West.

The dangerous winds are set to ease throughout the morning before flaring up again later in the evening.

An emergency warning was also issued late on Sunday night for the northern part of Karloo in Geraldton before being downgraded to watch and act overnight.

The watch and act affects people in the vicinity of Peter Way and Simon Drive in northern parts of Karloo. DFES said the alert level had been downgraded as the fire had been contained.

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A fire that has been burning in the Shire of Gingin since Saturday morning has been brought under control but authorities are warning that there is a lot of ash and dust blowing over the fireground, reducing visibility along Brand Highway.

Keep up to date:

Visit emergency.wa.gov.au, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Twitter: twitter.com/dfes_wa, Facebook: facebook.com/dfeswa, listen to ABC Local Radio, 6PR, or news bulletins.