Authorities have sounded the alarm as two wildfires rage near Perth, posing a serious threat to homes. The first fire erupted in Kenwick, to the east of the city, while another blaze flares up further north in Upper Swan.
The Kenwick fire ignited around midday local time and has rapidly spread, scorching the area along Boundary Road and reaching into the Kenwick Wetlands. Residents in the vicinity, particularly those in parts of Kenwick, Wattle Grove, Maddington, and Beckenham, are urged to evacuate towards the south if conditions allow. This area is bounded by Welshpool Road East, Tonkin Highway, Kenwick Road, Brixton Street, and Roe Highway.
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Homes located along Bickley Road, Brook Road, and Boundary Road are currently under immediate threat from the advancing flames. The fire, fueled by brisk north-easterly winds, has expanded to cover 93 hectares, according to DFES Superintendent Peter Norman.
Firefighters face a formidable challenge as they confront flames reaching heights of up to 10 meters, advancing at a pace of at least 1 km/h. Efforts to control the blazes continue as emergency services work to protect lives and properties in the affected regions.
Fast-moving north-easterly winds have grown the fire to 93 hectares in size, DFES Superintendent Peter Norman said.
He said firefighters were battling up to 10-metre flames that were moving at a speed of at least 1km/h.
“You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes,” the emergency warning states.
“Homes in Bickley Road, Brook Road and Boundary Road are under threat by fire now.”
More than 100 firefighters were on the scene battling the blaze, which has been “continually spotting into private property”, Norman said.
As of 4.30pm (7.30pm AEDT) one shed had been claimed by the fire, but no other buildings had been lost.
Crews were expected to remain in Kenwick overnight and into tomorrow.
A welfare evacuation centre has been set up at the Maddington Recreation Centre, 19 Alcock Street, Maddington.
A smoke alert has been triggered for the Roe Highway and freight lines from Welshpool to Fremantle have been stalled.
Norman stressed the importance of containing the fire before temperatures in Perth nudge the high 30s over the weekend.
“I think this is our reprieve before the weekend hits,” he said.
“It is still uncontained, uncontrolled, but we need to fully track this fire and have it controlled before the weekend.”
Further north, people in Upper Swan, Bullsbrook and Walyunga National Park â those east of Great Northern Highway, north of the Swan River and south of Stock Road â have also been told to evacuate, this time to the west.
The northerly blaze was first reported just before 1pm (AWST), and is still uncontained and uncontrolled, despite the efforts of 70 firefighters.
The Department of Communities has set up an evacuation centre at Swan Active Beechboro at 332 Benara Rd, Beechboro.
Norman said authorities were forced to redirect crews from the Kenwick fire to help battle the growing Bullsbrook blaze.
Perth has sweated through hot conditions today, with the mercury reaching 36.4 degrees at the airport, in the city’s east, shortly before 1:30pm today, and wind gusts reaching 43km/h.
Temperatures for metropolitan Perth are forecast to hit 35 degrees tomorrow, before rising to as high as 39 over the weekend.
