âWe are in a great placeâ: Wooroloo bushfire downgraded as Perth braces for heavy rain
Weâre sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
Dismiss
11.27am
Normal text size
Advertisement
A massive bushfire in the Perth Hills has been downgraded to a watch and act after almost six days of gruelling efforts from firefighters to bring the devastating blaze under control.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm shared the news during a press conference on Saturday morning and said crews were in a âgreat placeâ to manage the fire.
DFESÂ Commissioner Darren Klemm.
Credit:Nine
Share on Twitter
Fire retardant dropped from an air tanker has helped stop an out-of-control bushfire in Perth s northeast, but residents are still being told they are in immediate danger.
The massive blaze with a 126km perimeter is moving in a northwesterly direction along the city s coastal plain after destroying 71 homes near the hills town of Wooroloo on Monday night.
Residents in the suburbs of Shady Hills View and Bullsbrook - where the RAAF Base Pearce is located - have been told it is too late to leave.
The DFES said people in or around Clenton Road and Berry Road at Gidgegannup need to shelter in place or actively defend only if they are prepared to the highest level.
Authorities in Western Australia say 71 homes are now known to have been destroyed in the bushfire emergency east of Perth.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the blaze since Monday.
Photo: DFES Western Australia / Incident Photographer Evan Collis
Hundreds of people have spent the night in evacuation centres and an emergency warning remains in place for the out-of-control blaze, which started in Wooroloo on Monday and is continuing to threaten lives and homes.
WA s Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said no properties were impacted overnight, but assessment teams had confirmed the number of properties lost had increased to 71, and they were still working through the fire zone.