The fire, one of the worst to hit the region in recent years, destroyed 143 properties, including 128 homes in Yarloop which was virtually flattened, the state’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said.
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What’s left of a Rockingham fire truck, worth about $1 million, destroyed in the Yarloop fires.
I went through for the first time the day after the fire…it’s very sad, it’s hard to put words on it to tell you the truth.
More than 100 Waroona residents in an evacuation centre in Pinjarra have been told to find emergency accommodation in town, as it will be three to five days before they can return to their homes.
Western Power says thousands of properties remain without power but burned trees and debris in danger of collapsing must be cleared before crews can rebuild the network.
Thunderstorm systems may be created inside the fire itself, the spokesman said.
The warning remains an emergency in east of Waroona, Hamel and Yarloop and surrounding areas, the website added.
DFES boss Wayne Gregson defends his departments handling of fires.
Lightning ignited the wildfires – known in Australia as bushfires – across Western Australia on Wednesday.
“But I look around 360 degrees and everything is burnt to a cinder”.
The 25,000 residents of Harvey have emerged from a nervous Friday night with a bushfire that destroyed the town of Yarloop having slowed down but still posing a possible threat.
The Western Australia bushfire comes less than a month after southern Victoria was struck by similar blazes.
Calmer conditions overnight and today have allowed firefighters to build containment lines around the fire, which has a perimeter in excess of 226km.
“Fire came down the hill and I understand it has gone through the town site”.
Four people tragically died in a series of wildfires sparked by lightning in Western Australia state in November a year ago following a spate of earlier blazes in other Australian states from persistent hot and dry conditions.
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“Insurers are already standing by to offer guidance and process claims, so anyone who’s suffered losses should contact their insurer as soon as they’re able”, Whelan continued.
