WA Premier Roger Cook has confirmed 18 homes have been lost to the massive bushfire that swept across Perth's northern suburbs, while announcing relief payments for those impacted.
Key points:
- An emergency warning remains in place and 10 homes are confirmed lost
- Favourable conditions overnight helped crews reduce some warning areas
- There are fears about a wind change, despite Friday's forecast easing to 33C
Fire crews have spent a third day battling the blaze, which began on Wednesday in the Gnangara Pine Plantation in the city's northern suburbs and quickly spread west, fanned by strong winds and extreme heat.
Despite the best efforts of firefighters, 18 homes were destroyed — a revision up from the 10 announced yesterday — along with 31 structures, including sheds.
The majority of the destruction has been identified in the semi-rural suburb of Mariginiup, while residential areas in Tapping and Banksia Grove have also been hit.
Relief package unveiled
People whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged will be eligible for a $4,000 payment, while those whose homes were damaged will be able to claim $2,000.
The premier says more details regarding how to claim the payments will be made available as soon as possible.
An emergency warning remains in place for parts of Jandabup, Melaleuca, Wanneroo and Mariginiup.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said on Friday morning that the fire was 95 per cent contained but remained uncontrolled.
"There's been favourable conditions overnight due to the lighter winds and high humidity, which means we've been able to reduce some of the warning areas," DFES incident controller Scott Hares said.
After back-to-back days of temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius in Perth, there was a cool change as it fell to 19C just before 4am.
A forecast maximum temperature of 35C has now been revised to 33C, but of greater concern to authorities is an expected change of wind direction from the north-east to the south-west.
"[This morning] is critical to our effort. We're going to really work hard to consolidate containment lines in advance of that wind change," Mr Hares said.
Evacuees wait to return home
Residents were updated about the fire at a community meeting late Friday morning at the evacuation centre at Quinns Rocks.
DFES incident controller Clint Kuchel confirmed the fire's size and shape had stabilised, with the blaze having burnt about 2,000 hectares and having a 60-kilometre perimeter.
He said crews were consolidating containment lines, assessing roads and clearing hazards with a view to allowing people to access their homes.
"It's really important if we can get people in, we get them in, but also importantly that it's safe," he said.
Loading...WA's Communities Minister, Wanneroo MP Sabine Winton, said she was "truly amazed" at how the community had pulled together.
"Our hearts and thoughts are with all those people that are impacted by this really challenging time for Wanneroo," she said.
Fears of more property losses
DFES said it was likely other properties had been lost, but the extent of the damage was yet to be fully identified.
Loading...Mr Kuchel said more than a dozen Western Power repair crews had entered the fire ground to conduct restoration work for the electricity network.
The blaze disrupted power across a wide area, with poles and wires brought down throughout the fire zone.
A spokesman for Western Power told the meeting that it could take weeks for power to be fully restored.
He said an estimated 100 poles had been damaged by the flames.
With the evacuation centre at Quinns Rocks at capacity, authorities late yesterday opted to open the Bullsbrook COVID quarantine centre.
DFES said 19 people spent the night at the facility, while more were likely to be sent there as the fire remained a threat.
Those at the community meeting in Quinns Rocks on Friday morning were told that evacuation centre would remain open until it was safe for them to return home.
Hundreds of staff and volunteers are assisting residents at the two evacuation centres.
Warning over weekend weather change
In addition to the emergency warning, a watch and act alert stands for Sinagra, Ashby, Tapping and Banksia Grove.
More than 100 firefighters continue to battle the blaze along with aerial bombers and other aircaft.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said conditions would change again over the weekend, with easterly gusty winds due to return along with very hot temperatures.
There are also thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon for the inland, central west and central Wheatbelt and Great Southern districts, raising concerns of dry lightning.
A thunderstorm with little to no rain is forecast for Perth but is most likely around the hills, according to the BOM.
Residents recount fleeing homes
Banksia Grove resident Graham Last has spent the last two nights at the Quinns Rocks evacuation centre with his wife and three children after they were forced to flee their home.
"I managed to get my wife and children and they came straight here. I stayed [at home] for a couple of hours, until the fire was a couple of metres away," he said.
"It's the first time in 23 years I've been really, really scared and thought, 'no, I need to go'.
"We came with the clothes on our back, the dog and nothing else."
Mr Last said his home had survived the fire and he was hoping to return today, something he said would be a "massive relief".
"It was scary to be in this situation, but the fact we had this support was unbelievable," he said of the evacuation centre.
"To say that we've been looked after is an understatement … It meant everything to us as a family."
Tapping resident Mel Davers was told by firefighters to evacuate as flames engulfed the bushland across the street from her home.
"I kept having to remind myself, we are all here, things can be replaced," she said.
"It was so scary … the reality of the fact that our house could absolutely burn down was very, very scary."
Ms Davers said she came back to help put out flames into the early hours of morning.
"All my cousins that live up the street, they came back and helped us fight the fire as well while my sister cared for all the children," she said.
Blaze leaves ground 'moonscaped'
DFES district officer Ryan Bulluss said the fire had left patches of ground very burnt with "absolutely nothing left behind".
"An ad hoc term we use is 'moonscaped', because it's burnt with such an intensity and such a heat that it's left nothing behind," he said.
"What we're seeing out here is a complete bare moonscaping of the landscape, where all the fuel is removed and the ground is just left white with ash."
He said the last time he had seen a fire of such intensity was the Wooroloo blaze in Perth's east in February 2021.
"When we had the fire run from through Wooroloo and the hills there, [it was] the same sort of speed and ferocity and temperature running on the same sort of winds in the same sort of conditions," he said.
"Normally we wouldn't expect to see something of this intensity this early in the season."
Wanneroo schools escape damage
Education Department director-general Lisa Rodgers said the fire stopped just 500 metres short of East Wanneroo Primary School and Wanneroo Secondary College.
Both schools are closed today and remain in the watch and act warning zone.
But for families that can't find alternative care for their children, the department has opened "pop-up" classrooms at Woodvale Secondary College and Woodvale Primary School.
St Stephen's School in Carramar and St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School in Hocking closed yesterday and remain closed today.
Banksia Grove Primary School is in the watch and act zone but remains open, although parents may keep their children at home.
Perth forecast:
Friday: 33C
Saturday: 22C-39C
Sunday: 22C-39C
Monday: 23C-34C
Tuesday: 20C-29C
Wednesday: 18C-29C
Thursday: 19C-33C
Visit Emergency WA, call DFES on 133 337, follow DFES on Twitter or listen to ABC Local Radio to stay up to date.