Waroona Bushfire Emergency
There is a major bushfire emergency situation unfolding south of Perth tonight/this morning.
Important: If you are in the area please refer to DFES website for the latest. This post may be outdated when you read on.
Story:
A Waroona bushfire emergency has been declared by authorities, with lives and homes under threat from the massive blaze that started on Wednesday, January 6th.
Homes in and around the town of Waroona are under threat. Farm structures and businesses in the area are also under threat, DFES said.
An Alcoa mine site was also in the path of the blaze.
See Also: Waroona bushfire time lapse video looks like an atom bomb
“You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes,” authorities said.
“The bushfire is moving fast in a westerly direction at 2 kilometres metres per hour. It is out of control and unpredictable.”
UPDATE: Midnight January 7th 2015 – Important for those east of the Southwest Highway:
WHAT TO DO (EAST OF SOUTH WESTERN HIGHWAY):
· For people east of South Western Highway, it is too late to leave, leaving now would be deadly.
· You need to shelter in your home and actively defend it.
· Go to a room away from the fire front and make sure you can easily escape.
· Choose a room with two exits and water such as a kitchen or laundry.
· You must shelter before the fire arrives, as the extreme heat will kill you well before the flames reach you.
· Protect yourself by wearing long sleeves and trousers, made from cotton or wool, and strong leather boots.
· If your home catches on fire and the conditions inside become unbearable, you need to get out and go to an area that has already been burnt.
An evacuation centre has been set up at Murray Leisure Centre, 16 Camp Road in Pinjarra for those who have fled homes, ABC local news said.
Local police have shutdown the South West Highway, meaning traffic to Bunbury and beyond from Perth is cut off for now.
SW Highway closed due to Waroona fire. pic.twitter.com/GlNUeTaHvs
— Harvey Police (@HarveyPolice) January 6, 2016
WA [EMERGENCY WARNING] FIRE – Waroona 06/01 11:02pm AWST #DFES https://t.co/QgVnvanFaO pic.twitter.com/hplebs2zO6
— WarningsWA (@WarningsWA) January 6, 2016
Latest #waroona tweets
#waroona Tweets
Images posted to social media earlier in the day showed thick smoke rising high into the atmosphere
Smoke alert issued for Waroona, Preston Beach and surrounds https://t.co/baUpvldm5j Pic credit @WaroonaPol pic.twitter.com/QOBjDfI3jw
— Community News (@commnewsgroup) January 6, 2016
The cloud of smoke could be seen from hundreds of kilometres away in the northern suburbs of Perth and on the weather radar.
#Bushfire smoke from Lane Poole reserve showing up on our radar. https://t.co/5qCGv883AR @dfes_wa #WANews pic.twitter.com/XrdE95Orv1
— BOM WA (@BOM_WA) January 6, 2016
The cloud looked spectacular from the SW WA coast – this at Busselton
#Waroona fire from Busselton. We thought it was a big storm but the radar didn’t look right. pic.twitter.com/icw9msx3xW
— Andrew Mitchell (@tegandrew) January 6, 2016
Waroona resident Braydon Day captured this time lapse of the fire as it approached the town yesterday. @abcnewsPerth pic.twitter.com/RO0JJmQneY
— Gian De Poloni (@GianDePoloni) January 7, 2016
