‘Threat to lives and homes’: Wild weather set to worsen WA’s ordeal by fire


Flames rage on the outskirts of Perth, with authorities expecting things will be worse over coming days. Photo: AAP
Firefighters are battling multiple blazes across Western Australia as authorities warn of more “difficult” days ahead.
Seven emergency-level blazes have destroyed homes and torn through bushland, rural properties and suburbs on Perth’s fringes in the past three days.
Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said strong, gusty winds had pushed the blazes to catastrophic levels.
There is still difficult weather ahead, Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm says. (Aaron Bunch/AAP PHOTOS)
He warned the threat would remain through the Christmas holiday.
“There is still some difficult weather ahead of us as we head into Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,” he told reporters from the Parkerville fireground on Friday.
‘Elevated fire danger’
On Saturday, the weather bureau issued an extreme fire danger warning for the Burrup district, north west of Karratha.
“Fresh west to northwest winds and hot conditions will lead to elevated fire dangers,” the warning read.
A strong wind warning is in place for coastal Pilbara, Perth, Bunbury, and Leeuwin.
Heatwave conditions in some parts of the state are waning, with the worst of the extreme heat now pushing into the NT.
But the weather bureau says there will still be severe heatwave warnings in place for WA for a while to come.
“Severe heatwave conditions over much of northern and central WA continuing into next week,” the bureau warned. “Locations likely to be impacted include Kununurra, Marble Bar, Newman and Wyndham.”
There are two fires burning at Watch and Act level on Saturday.
A blaze north east of Mandura was downgraded overnight.
The other fire is burning south at Northcliff in the Manjimup shire.

A vast column of smoke rises from the fire at Keysbrook near Perth. Photo: AAP
“There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a uncontrolled bushfire is burning in the area and people still need to stay alert,” Emergency WA warned.
A total fire ban is in place for the area.
A blaze at Parkerville in Perth’s hilly east razed three homes after starting when a tree fell onto powerlines on Thursday.
Local resident Mark Norton lost his home of 18 years in the fire, and returned to his property on Friday to inspect what was left.
“Looking inside, there are no floors, everything has dropped through, there’s nothing recognisable … half the walls have fallen through,” he said.
“It doesn’t look like my own house.”
‘No time to grab anything’
Mr Norton said he had seconds to evacuate as the fire raced towards him.
“There was no time to grab anything by the time I smelt the fire … I knew I had like moments or seconds to go,” he said.
“You grab a box of photographs and your back-ups and that’s the only thing you have time for.”
Firefighters were also battling blazes near the town of Toodyay, 90km northeast of Perth, and near Bunbury, 180km to the south.
Residents in the fishing town of Lancelin, 126km north of Perth, were forced to flee to the tiny town’s jetty late Wednesday as a blaze that started on a golf course bore down on them.
-with AAP