20-05-2025
Call for extended fire restrictions after bushfire emergency north of Perth
A veteran volunteer firefighter has urged residents to be mindful of dry conditions after an out-of-control burn-off sparked a bushfire emergency north of Perth.
The fire near Bookara, south of Geraldton, reached emergency level on Wednesday last week and took several hours to bring under control.
The fire threatened homes and sheds, which were saved, but caused significant damage to a nearby olive orchard.
Shire of Irwin chief bushfire control officer Peter Summers said the burn-off occurred despite repeated warnings from local authorities.
With five decades of firefighting experience, he said fire seasons were getting steadily longer.
"The fire danger period has become longer per year now, so [there are] less safe months to burn," Mr Summers said.
While the arrival of cooler temperatures is normally a trigger point for private burn-offs to get underway, Mr Summers said the dry conditions had led to repeated warnings for residents to delay any planned burns.
He said warnings had come from Dongara's bushfire brigade and the Shire of Irwin.
"It's best to wait until the rain comes and everything's a little bit damper and there's more moisture in the dry fuel," Mr Summers said.
"It's hotter and drier until, quite often, May.
"Sometimes it doesn't start raining till mid-June … we've got longer dry periods now."
Mr Summers said extending the restricted burning period would give volunteer firefighters more control.
In Western Australia, restricted burning periods are set by each local government area and usually occur in the warmer months.
During this time, residents have to apply for a permit for outdoor fire activity, such as burning organic matter or starting a campfire.
Shire of Irwin President Mark Leonard said it had already extended the restricted burning period by two weeks, bringing it to late April.
Cr Leonard said he personally supported a further extension of restricted burning, but that would be decided by the shire's chief executive and based on the recommendation of the fire brigade.
Further south, the Shire of Dandaragan has extended its restricted burning period to the beginning of this month.
Shire President Tony O'Gorman said the community was on high alert for fires, following an emergency level blaze which threatened Cervantes last November and a second blaze near Lancelin in late March.
"It's very fresh in our memory," he said.
"When you're driving from Perth to Jurien [Bay], what you see is mostly burnt-out bush, so we're very conscious of [fire threats]."
Cr O'Gorman said despite a "lack of moisture in the air" and no significant rainfall, burning without a permit has been permitted for two weeks.
He said it was up to fire control officers and emergency service coordinators at each local government to make their own call for community safety.
"I'm not an expert on it. They are, and that's why we employ these people," Cr O'Gorman said.
Cr O'Gorman said it was also important to consider the need to reduce fuel loads through controlled burns, when safe to do so.
