About 150 residents at an aged care facility in Martin were evacuated on Sunday evening (Photo: ABC PERTH).
Firefighters are bracing for another day of dangerous conditions after about 150 aged care residents had to be evacuated when three blazes threatened lives and homes in Perth’s metropolitan area overnight.
A bushfire in Kwinana, which started just after 12.30pm on Saturday near the intersection of Thomas Road and Gilmore Avenue in Orelia, has already razed 250 hectares of bushland and is still at an emergency level. About 150 firefighters are battling to bring the fire under control. It is yet unclear what caused the blaze.
The situation in Kwinana was made even more hazardous by toxic fumes from a burning rubbish tip and residents are urged to stay indoors.
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, and 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.”
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 downgraded to a watch and act alert. 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.
This article first appeared at WA Today.
