‘Leave NOW’: Hot winds fan raging bushfire leaving residents in towns north of Perth in ‘imminent danger’
- Raging bushfire threatening lives in towns two hours north of Perth, WA
- Residents told to evacuate from Ocean Farms Estate, Seaview Park if safe
- Firefighters battle blaze which has destroyed over nine thousand hectares
Emergency warnings remain in place as a bushfire two hours north of Perth threatens local communities.
Residents of Ocean Farms Estate, Seaview Park and surrounding areas are being told to enact their bushfire survival plan, which includes leaving if safe to do so.
The Red Gully fire has decimated more than 9,000 hectares since Saturday, with about 200 firefighters battling flames with support from water-bombing aircraft.
The Red Gully fire has decimated more than 9,000 hectares since Saturday, with about 200 firefighters battling flames with support from water-bombing aircraft
Emergency warnings remain in place as the bushfire two hours north of Perth threatens local communities in Ocean Farms Estate, Seaview Park and surrounding areas
Emergency WA advised residents to leave if they can safely drive in a southerly direction along Indian Ocean Drive.
The fire ignited in Red Gully in the Shire of Gingin but has since moved west.
More than 200 volunteer and career firefighters are battling the blaze.
Guilderton Country Club has been set up as an evacuation centre for those fleeing the fire.
A Watch and Act warning remains for a fire in parts of Wedge Island in the Shire of Dandaragan.
WA BUSHFIRES – what you need to know
HIGH RISK areas include Ocean Farms Estate, Seaview Park, Regans Ford, Cowalla, Moore River National Park, Nilgen, Mimegarra, Wedge Island, Karakin, Orange Springs and Lancelin in the Shires of Gingin and Dandaragan in Western Australia.
Emergency WA warns residents, ‘Your life may be in danger if you stay.’
‘Do not wait and see, leaving at the last minute is deadly. If you cannot leave, you need to get ready to shelter in your home.’
Residents are advised to only leave if they can safely drive in a southerly direction along Indian Ocean Drive.
On Tuesday, incident controller Andy Duckworth said the blaze threatening homes at Ocean Farms Estate was running at 3.5km/h.
Conditions included high temperatures and strong, shifting winds across the fire ground.
Mr Duckworth said there were particular concerns for people living in the mainland community of Wedge Island with authorities unable to send ground crews into the area because of the presence of unexploded ordinance from an old bombing range.
‘There’s a lot of bush around there, and we’re limited in our ability to fight the fire. We can use our aircraft but not much else,’ he said.
‘So we’re not confident we can pull it up before it reaches Wedge Island by any means.’
Tuesday’s emergency followed an easing of the danger on Monday after a string of fires threatened various areas to the north and south of Perth, on the state’s southwest coast and in the Goldfields.
With very hot weather forecast until at least Sunday, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters said the risk of more fires was high.
‘Whenever you come into a period of really hot weather coupled with extremely high easterly winds, we’re always going to be in for a world of hurt,’ he said.
Residents of Ocean Farms Estate, Seaview Park and surrounding areas are being told to enact their bushfire survival plan, which includes leaving if safe to do so (Pictured – Red Gully fire on Tuesday 5 January)
Emergency WA advised residents to leave if they can safely drive in a southerly direction along Indian Ocean Drive (Image of map captured 12.10pm on Wednesday January 6, 12.10pm)
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