At least four homes have been lost in bushfires that have been bearing down on the towns of Bridgetown and Denmark in Western Australia, with the state’s fire commissioner attributing the intensity of the fires to the changing climate.
The WA emergency services minister, Stephen Dawson, on Sunday confirmed properties and businesses had been affected, but the scale of the damage would not be known until assessors moved through.
He said “significant progress” had been made in containing the fires in the state’s south, but the danger remained.
“We still have an active fire situation so we ask people to please be patient. It’s incredibly difficult time for everyone involved. For all the affected community, please know everyone in Western Australia is thinking about you.”
Fires remained out of control on Sunday afternoon and had burned more than 5,000 hectares. Dawson said 210 firefighters had been battling the fires at Denmark and Bridgetown on Sunday.
Western Power had restored services to thousands of homes but many remained without power.
The WA fire and emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, said the fires had been “extremely challenging” amid hot and unpredictable conditions. But milder weather should allow progress to be made on the Denmark fire on Sunday evening.
Klemm said four homes had been lost in Denmark and one had been damaged, with another four structures also lost.
He said in Bridgetown there were some buildings damaged on a golf course and at the shire depot and waste facility.
One resident was taken to hospital after fighting a fire on Friday afternoon on his rural property, Klemm said.
Klemm said the intensity of the fires was a result of the changing climate.
“The challenges we are having with these fires and floods … I feel are becoming more intense,” he said.
“On Friday night the fire in Denmark doubled in size overnight. For one of the most southern parts of our state, to have a fire double in size overnight is not territory we have been in before.”
In a Facebook post, the WA fire and emergency services department said it had been a “hellish night” on Saturday.
“Scores of firefighters spent a hellish night under pressure from variable winds, showers of embers and oppressive heat as they fought against a firestorm bearing down on our communities,” authorities said.
“Their admirable efforts have made significant progress in Bridgetown and Denmark, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”
In the railway town of Hester, about 100 were warned it was too late to flee on Saturday evening and they were urged to take shelter inside.
Assessment teams were working to determine property damage, and the department urged residents to be patient while firefighters still actively defended properties.
A bushfire burning near the Bruce Rock shire was moving south-west quickly about 2.30pm on Sunday local time, burning out of control.
About 2.45pm on Sunday Hester was no longer under direct threat, but was still in an emergency area as the uncontained but stationary fire burned out of control.
Scores of #firefighters spent a hellish night under pressure from variable winds, showers of embers & oppressive heat as they fought against a firestorm bearing down on our #WA communities. We've made significant progress but we’re not out of the woods yet:https://t.co/ggLgHrMH2V pic.twitter.com/EkaXSZesJd
— DFES (@dfes_wa) February 6, 2022
An emergency warning remained for the coastal shire of Denmark, after residents were told to evacuate on Friday.
Four specialists from NSW Fire and Rescue were on their way to WA on Sunday afternoon to assist local authorities, along with members of the NSW Rural Fire Service and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Corporation, following a request from WA.
An evacuation centre has been set up at the basketball stadium in Manjimup, about three hours south of Perth.
People required to quarantine should make other arrangements. If this is not possible, they can still head to the centre and notify staff when they arrive.
Pets are not permitted at the centre unless they are assistance animals, but those unable to make other arrangements should make their way to the centre and follow directions.
The WA premier Mark McGowan thanked firefighters for their efforts over the week, and urged the public to follow advice from emergency authorities.
