An out-of-control bushfire in Perth’s northeast has destroyed more than 70 homes, with residents to the north of the blaze told they are in immediate danger.
The massive blaze with a 126km perimeter is moving in a northwesterly direction along the city’s coastal plain after destroying 71 homes near the hills town of Wooroloo on Monday night.
Residents in the suburbs of Shady Hills View and Bullsbrook – where the RAAF Base Pearce is located – have been told it is too late to leave.
The DFES said people in or around Clenton Road and Berry Road at Gidgegannup need to shelter in place or actively defend only if they are prepared to the highest level.
Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Operations Craig Waters said the shifting wind was making life tough for firefighters.
“We’ve had three outbreaks … one on the northwest corner of the fire which is going to threaten Shady Hills in a couple of hours,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
The blaze has also broken containment lines on the southwest corner of the fire near Avon Ridge Estate and to the north along Berry Road in Gidgegannup.
“One of the biggest issues is the terrain around the fire areas, it’s very steep… a lot of valleys, a lot of hills, so we’re experiencing really flukey winds,” Mr Waters said.
“The fire has (also) been spotting well ahead of the main head fire.
“We’re asking all community members (in warning areas) to enact their fire plan.”
Premier Mark McGowan said WA was enduring an unprecedented crisis.
“We’re facing disasters on two fronts – the devastating bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, referring to a five-day lockdown for metropolitan Perth, the Peel region and the South West.
“The fire has devastated our community. We know that 71 homes have been lost and that number is expected to rise.”
Evacuation centres have been set up at the Brown Park Recreation Complex in Swan View, Swan Active in Midland and Swan Active in Beechboro.
Up to 300 people waited in 35-degree heat at the centre in Swan View on Wednesday afternoon, unable to return to the fire zone and unsure if their homes had been destroyed.
The Weale family were forced to evacuate on Wednesday morning when conditions worsened.
Aaron Fernandes/SBS News
The Weale family have three blocks and two properties in Brigadoon, and were forced to evacuate on Wednesday morning when conditions worsened.
Like many others, they face an anxious wait before they’re allowed to return to check their homes.
“We have no indication of when we’ll be able to return,” Claire Weale told SBS News on Wednesday.
“There isn’t really a timeframe for us. It’s difficult to try and put anything in place … we just don’t know.”
People whose homes have been severely damaged, or destroyed or who’ve been seriously injured in the fires will be able to access $1,000 Commonwealth disaster recovery payments from Thursday.
Disaster Recovery Allowance payments will also be available for people who’ve lost income because of the blaze.
Additional reporting by Aaron Fernandes.
