One home has been lost and hundreds of others are under threat from an emergency bushfire authorities suspect was deliberately lit in the West Australian city of Geraldton.
Dozens of firefighters are being sent from Perth to help extinguish the bushfire amid extremely hot, dry and windy conditions.
People in parts of the northern suburbs of Bluff Point, Spalding and Sunset Beach are being urged to leave their homes now, while residents in Waggrakine and Moresby are being warned it is still not safe to return home.
Water bombers are helping fire crews on the ground fight the blaze. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
“We can confirm we have lost one residence … from ember attack,” Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Superintendent Mark Bowen said on Monday morning.
“And we have one small old outbuilding [destroyed], a small asbestos shed.”
Fire crews are battling hot and windy conditions as the blaze threatens lives and homes. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
Mr Bowen said early signs indicated the fire was deliberately lit.
Fire warning ahead of hot summer
“It’s under investigation, but it does appear to be suspicious,” he said.
“That’s not confirmed, but all initial indicators are that it was a suspicious fire.”
More outbreaks feared in 42C heat
Mr Bowen said the weather conditions were “very challenging” for firefighters, with a top of 42 degrees Celsius expected on Monday.
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“We have very strong easterly winds gusting up to 80 kilometres an hour,” he said.
“Our main focus this afternoon is when that sea breeze comes in, all of the eastern side of the fire will put pressure on the control lines that we’ve established, and we may see further outbreaks later this afternoon.”
Mr Bowen said the fire appeared to cause “minor damage”, but the area was still being assessed.
Another 60 firefighters are travelling from Perth today to relieve local crews who have battled a number of blazes in recent days.
Mr Bowen said residents in areas of Geraldton close to the fire zone who were not currently being impacted should prepare their properties in case the blaze spreads.
“Obviously, this is a very dangerous situation,” he said.
“Any preparation should have been done [by] now, but especially those on the eastern side of the fire, [people should] prepare now.
“There is a probability that the fire will break containment this afternoon, so they need to be prepared.”
Wary locals on stand-by
Spalding resident Ross Reynolds has spent the morning patrolling his property with a hose in hand, describing the “hot and windy conditions”.
Spalding resident Ross Reynolds is patrolling his property with a hose in hand. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
“I’m just watering down the gutters and stuff like that. We haven’t got much water pressure at the moment, I think the fire brigade are sucking up all the water,” he said.
“I’m hopeful I’m all right here. I’ve got big footy ovals surrounding me, so hopefully that’s enough to keep it at bay, but the flying embers would be the worry.”
Mr Reynolds said he was also concerned for his father who lives nearby.
Smoke rose over the horizon in Geraldton on Sunday as the fire spread. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
“I was going to go to work but changed my mind and came back … [to] make sure he can get out if he has to,” he said.
‘Unsafe in a matter of minutes’
Sunset Beach resident Kerry Baker said she chose to evacuate within minutes of spotting smoke on Sunday afternoon.
She had been napping when the power went out.
Sunset Beach resident Kerry Baker is worried about being cornered by the fire. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
“I went into the street to see if anyone else had lost power, and I didn’t realise there was a fire behind the house,” she said.
“Everything was black and dark.”
Sunset Beach lies between the coast and the fireground, and Ms Baker — bordered by Chapman River to the south — was worried about being cornered by the blaze.
What to do if there’s a bushfire in your area
“If the fire went across the highway, I would have got stuck, because of the river,” Ms Baker said.
“I went from feeling safe to unsafe in a matter of minutes.”
Ms Baker decided to leave immediately, grabbing only her vital medication before she drove to a friend’s house in Geraldton’s southern suburbs.
“There are going to be a lot of people displaced. I’m worried for them and I’m hoping it’s not too many,” she said.
Residents flee flames
Waggrakine resident Jesse Pickett knew the fire had escalated when he heard planes around midday on Sunday.
He said he went to the Spalding Park Golf Club, where nearby residents had started preparing to leave.
Local resident Jesse Pickett captured pictures of flames encroaching on homes on Sunday. (Supplied: Jesse Pickett)
“The smoke was getting so much blacker. I could hear the stress in all of the of the neighbours,” he said.
“They’re all shouting, screaming ‘We need to leave, we need to go. Don’t worry about the house. If we have to go, we have to go.'”
Mr Pickett said by the time he decided to go home and prepare to evacuate, local roads were flanked by flames.
“The fire’s already jumped [Chapman Valley] road and lit up the paddock near the Waggrakine school,” he said.
“So I was basically flying through fire.”
Mr Pickett said after packing he went to a police blockade, where around 40 other cars had parked to monitor the smoke.
Emergency warning in place
Some schools and many streets in Geraldton are closed, and several hundred homes and businesses remain without power.
A number of roads are closed in Geraldton’s northern suburbs as a result of the blaze. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
The North West Coastal Highway, which links Geraldton with WA’s north, is closed in the vicinity of the fire, with motorists required to use an inland detour.
An emergency warning is in place for suburban neighbourhoods in Bluff Point, Spalding and Sunset Beach, while watch and act alerts cover surrounding areas including Waggrakine, Moresby and Glenfield.
The bushfire is moving fast in a south-westerly direction.
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