Another bushfire is threatening lives in Western Australia, with fears homes have been lost in an out-of-control blaze in Perth’s east.

December 21, 2023

Multiple homes have reportedly been razed and residents forced to flee, as an out-of-control bushfire challenges firefighters in the hills east of Perth.

It’s the fourth emergency-level blaze in the state in the past 48 hours, with residents in the suburb of Parkerville warned they need to act immediately to survive

“There is a threat to lives and homes,” a Department of Fire and Emergency Services alert issued on Thursday said.

Social media footage shows flames and smoke billowing from at least one property and a vehicle as water bombers attack the fire from above.

Paramedics transported two men in their 60s to a hospital, one suffering non-life-threatening burns and the other an injury to his foot.

Premier Roger Cook said was a “troubling situation” and the weather was being “very unkind” to firefighters.

“We all have grave concerns for the fire and in Parkerville and our hearts go out to all those people who are involved in in that incident,” he told reporters.

The bushfire is moving in a westerly direction and is “unpredictable”.

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said it was a challenging situation for firefighters.

“Parkerville is an area where we’ve had significant fires before, including loss of home so the concern level is very high,” he said.

Local resident Linc Goodwin evacuated the semi-rural suburb with his wife and children as the blaze kicked off.

“Our families, okay. Family friends are okay as well, but I couldn’t speculate on others,” he told AAP.

Mr Goodwin believes his home had been spared from the fire burning west away from his property on the eastern side of the hamlet.

“We’ve dodged the bullet … if we were in that line of fire … it would have been ferocious.”

Power has been cut to more than 150 properties and roads in and out of the densely wooded area have been closed.

An evacuation centre has been opened in the nearby suburb of Swan View.

“We know that today’s going to be a particularly difficult day expecting … those strong easterly winds again, but also thunderstorm activity across large parts of the state,” Mr Klemm said.

A second emergency-level blaze in the Shire of Manjimup in the state’s southwest for Callcup, Crowea and Meerup has been downgraded to watch and act but remains a threat.

The fire has burned about 3000 hectares of vegetation and there have been reports of damage to sheds, fences and farm equipment.

The threat has also eased in the Wheatbelt, where an emergency-level bushfire in the Shire of Toodyay was downgraded early on Thursday.

A watch and act alert remains in place for parts of West Toodyay, Coondle and Julimar, with authorities warning it is contained but not controlled.

The fire has burned about 155 hectares of vegetation and residents have been told it is still not safe to return to their homes.

A fourth bushfire that threatened the fishing town of Lancelin, 126km north of Perth, was declared contained and controlled early on Thursday morning.

The blaze burned through about 89 hectares as it raced towards homes in windy conditions late on Wednesday, forcing some residents to shelter on the town’s jetty and beaches.