West Australia battles intense bushfires amid hotter weather conditions

Three homes have been destroyed in devastating bushfires in West Australia just days before Christmas.

Three homes have been destroyed in devastating bushfires in West Australia as communities return to their properties to assess the damage days before Christmas.

Emergency crews battled intense blazes in the Perth Hills after an emergency alert was issued at Parkerville, about 30km east of Perth’s CBD, just after 10am on Thursday.

A fire tears through a property in Parkerville, Western Australia. Picture: 9 News

The fire has since been downgraded to a watch and act alert level after the blaze was contained.

WA Premier Roger Cook, who assessed the damage at Parkerville on Friday, said it was “heartbreaking” to see the devastation first hand.

“Can I just acknowledge those West Australians who have lost homes, possessions, animals in this horrible fire,” he said.

“This is heartbreaking news, especially so close to Christmas.

“Watching those flames engulf those homes is absolutely heartbreaking and distressing.

“But on behalf of the people of Western Australia, I want you to know that our hearts are with you.

“Right around the state, we are thinking of you today and your loss.

“But for people here in Parkerville, this is obviously a very anxious time, especially for those involved and impacted by the 2014 incident, which destroyed dozens of homes.

WA Premier Roger Cook says the state is ‘heartbroken’ for those who have lost their homes in the bushfire. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Philip Gostelow

The 2014 bushfire destroyed 57 homes in Parkerville.

Mr Cook said despite those properties being destroyed, he was “so thankful” no lives were lost.

He thanked the firefighters who fought the blaze and continued to face changing weather conditions despite a small reprieve on Friday.

“The incredible work of firefighters and other emergency services personnel over the past two days has meant that damage has been significantly limited here in Parkerville,” he said.

“And most importantly, lives have been saved.

“But I don’t think we can underestimate the challenging conditions in which they worked.

“The terrain, the strong winds, the high temperatures.

“This is an outstanding result in terms of limiting the damage and getting this fire under control.”

Three residential properties and multiple sheds and outbuildings have been damaged or destroyed.

“Property loss notifications are currently under way and road assessment teams are being deployed,” Mr Cook said.

“Once again, our hearts go out to those people.

“Both have accommodation through their own support networks and in the local community.

“The remaining household will be assessed to understand what support they will require.”

Authorities believe the cause of the bushfire is accidental.

The evacuation centre at Brown Park community centre, where 45 people registered during the emergency, has since been stood down.

Three homes were destroyed in the blaze. Picture: 9 News

DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm warned that West Australians should be aware of their bushfire plan in the coming days, as more hot weather could worsen conditions.

“Certainly, there is still some difficult weather ahead of us as we head into Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,” he said.

“(There is) a little bit of a respite today, but it is an opportunity for people to revisit their My Bushfire Plan.

“It’s worth noting the weather conditions can get worse.

“It was an extreme fire danger rating yesterday (Thursday), there’s catastrophic (rating) above that.

“Those strong easterly winds were challenging in extreme fire behaviour yesterday, but if you’re getting into catastrophic days, you need to make sure your home is best prepared as it can possibly be.”