An out-of-control bushfire burning in Perth’s northeastern suburbs has destroyed at least 56 homes, authorities have confirmed.
The massive blaze with an 80km perimeter raged through the night near the hills town of Wooroloo before moving west onto the city’s coastal plain where it is threatening homes in the northern suburbs.
Weather conditions are expected to worsen overnight with wind gusts of up to 75km/h possible, with a smoke alert issued for the entire Perth metropolitan area.
DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm on Tuesday afternoon confirmed 56 homes have so far been lost in the bushfire – a number that will likely climb.
“It is terrible news for the owners of those homes, and our thoughts are with them all,” he told reporters.
Commissioner Klemm said crews had faced “a difficult and incredibly fast-moving” blaze that was spotting 3.5 kilometres ahead of the fire front at its height on Monday night.
“Firefighters were just going from one house to the next trying to save them,” he said.
“We are still in really difficult conditions. There is a lot of work to be done on the fire to make it safe and we are a long way from that point.”
He said he is unaware of any reports of loss of life, or injuries to the public.
Earlier, Premier Mark McGowan said 80 per cent of all properties in a rural suburb near Gidgegannup have been lost.
“(Firefighters) will be conducting inquiries at the Tilden Park fire scene this morning in an attempt to establish where there has been any loss of life,” he told reporters.
Mr McGowan said a large aerial tanker was on route from NSW to help firefighters and he had briefed the prime minister on the blaze.
“This is an extremely dangerous fire and a serious situation. Weather conditions are extremely volatile,” he said.
Meanwhile, people in Perth’s CBD and coastal suburbs have reported ash landing at their homes, up to 35km from the blaze.
Operations at RAAF Base Pearce – which is in the path of the fire – have been suspended and preparations are being made to evacuate.
People in a 25km stretch west from Wooroloo to the Walyunga National Park northeast of Perth have been told it is too late to leave.
“You must shelter before the fire arrives, as the extreme heat will kill you well before the flames reach you,” the latest DFES warning said.
Jenni Stanton, 59, received a text about 2am telling her to evacuate from her home at The Vines, which is about a kilometre from the blaze.
But she and her husband decided to stay put, saying the roads out of the semi-rural suburb in Perth’s north were bumper-to-bumper with traffic.
“The fire has jumped the Great Northern Highway west of Walyunga, so it’s closer to us now,” she told AAP mid-morning.
“The yard is covered in ash and we can hear the water bombers.”
An evacuation centre has been set up at Brown Park, Swan View.
Aaron Fernandes / SBS News
Neighbour Melissa Stahl, 49, received the same text.
“I could smell the fire and went out the back and the whole yard was filled with smoke,” she said.
“My husband Michael said we better go.
“We grabbed bedding, photos, the two kids and the dog and got out of there.”
Meanwhile, surrounding areas including Parkerville, Ellenbrook, Chidlow and Jane Brook have been told to leave if they are not prepared to fight the blaze.
Evacuation centres have been set up at the Brown Park Recreation Complex in Swan View and Swan Active in Midland.
Kira Rutter, 21, fled her home in Ellenbrook about 3am to Brown Park. She said there were up to 300 people at the centre.
“Everyone is wearing masks and social distancing and we’re a really supportive little community at the moment,” she said.
“But I’m getting a bit anxious now, the smoke has started to reach here.”
Will Lister and his daughters evacuated The Vines early on Tuesday morning, after he woke to an emergency text message from DFES.
Will Lister and his daughters evacuated from the Vines early on Tuesday morning.
Aaron Fernandes / SBS News
“I walked outside, there was ash and smoke throughout the street,” he told SBS News.
“It was pretty bad, you couldn’t see the sun. There was all this noise from choppers and fire trucks. There was ash falling from the sky, all charred and black, twigs and leaves.
“It looked pretty serious so we left as soon as possible.”
DFES said anyone forced to leave their homes should wear a mask and continue to follow social distancing precautions to comply with Western Australia’s current COVID-19 health regulations.
