Police are seeking dash cam vision from anyone who may have been travelling on Great Eastern Highway near Wooroloo on New Year’s Day as they investigate whether a bushfire that destroyed a home, along with 800 hectares of bushland, was deliberately lit.
The fire, which was reported just after 2pm on Wednesday near Carter Road, quickly blazed out of control and threatened the nearby Acacia Prison.
The house and its outbuildings destroyed by the bushfire while its owners were overseas. Credit: 9 News Perth
About 150 firefighters were called to extinguish the fire, battling high winds and temperatures close to 40 degrees.
Hundreds of people were without power overnight, and at the time, Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said it was concerning that this was the area’s third fire in weeks.
Strike Force Vulcan, a special WA Police squad tasked with investigating fires, has been unable to determine the cause but hopes the public will assist with any information or vision from the area around the time of ignition.
After one home was lost, Department of Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Darren Klemm said the home was unoccupied at the time, its owners overseas.
“Another five non-residential buildings, which include sheds, greenhouses and machinery that was within those sheds have also been destroyed,” he said.
“Other properties within the vicinity of these have been saved.”
On New Year’s Day, firefighters were contending with 62 separate incidents across the state, including an out-of-control blaze near Albany that forced people to evacuate.
A bushfire advice warning remains for the Wooroloo area, with authorities warning people to stay alert and monitor their surroundings, though the fire is now contained and under control.
Police ask that anyone travelling on Great Eastern Highway near Acacia Prison, particularly between 2pm and 2.30pm on January 1, who has dash-cam vision, contacts them.
Rewards of up to $25,000 are available for information that leads to the identification and conviction of an arsonist.
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