Perth hills fire toll now 86 homes

As fires in the hills around Perth continue to rage out of control, locals count the true cost of the devastation.

A firefighter passes an ornamental statue of a kangaroo in the yard of a razed house after bushfires in Gidgegannup, 40 kilometres northeast of Perth. Picture: AFP

At least 86 houses have been lost in the fire that continues to ravage the Perth outskirts, as authorities hope a cool change slated for Saturday afternoon will help firefighting efforts.

West Australian Fire Commissioner Darren Klemm said there were still difficult conditions ahead, with very strong winds forecast before the change, posing an immediate threat to the Perth Hills area. Rain was “not a guarantee”.

“We are expecting incredibly strong winds, stronger than we’ve had already, ahead of that tropical low,” Mr Klemm said. “Some challenges still exist for us.”

He said most of the properties were destroyed in the first 12 hours of the blaze, which started on Monday and was still out of control on Friday night.

The remains of a kitchen in a house after bushfires in Gidgegannup. Picture: AFP

He said fire authorities were still dealing with an active fire on the western side of the fire zone, which covered almost 10,000ha and had a 136km perimeter.

Rapid assessment teams were close to completing inspection of the burnt region and the state of affected properties. There have been 200 homes saved in the fire-affected area.

Affected homeowners were taken by bus to the eastern side of the fire zone to see their properties on Friday. “It’s an extremely difficult time for those homeowners,” Mr Klemm said.

West Australian police are still investigating the cause of the fire, but have found where it started. Authorities say they are still unsure if it was deliberately lit.

About 500 firefighters are battling the ‘‘uncontained” blaze.

Mr Klemm said authorities were monitoring the fatigue of the volunteers, implementing a well-structured rostering system to prevent harm.

“In the Shire of Mundaring, the city of Swan, they feel an ownership, here volunteering for their community, which they do 365 days of the year,” he said.

“We acknowledge that. Great respect for that effort. It is one of the most noble things that we see in emergency services, is that constant commitment of people to commit themselves to doing things for other people in their community. It is fantastic.”