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A farmer has died when his loader was engulfed in flames while fighting a fire on Western Australia’s southern coast as the state’s hot start to summer brought with it several bushfires on Monday.
Bushfires continue to rage in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and near Esperance after igniting on Monday afternoon.
Farmers have worked through the evening to control the blazes along with firefighters, but Premier Roger Cook confirmed on Tuesday one farmer had died while trying to fight a fire in West River.
“We’ve had a loss of life overnight, a gentleman in his 60s who was part of the firefighting in Ravensthorpe, attempting to lay down further fire breaks,” he said.
“Unfortunately, his vehicle was engulfed by flames.
“This is a desperately sad situation, and our hearts go out to that gentleman and his family.
“It’s a very sad day for us today, and obviously, Ravensthorpe is a tight-knit and small community.
“They will be impacted by this, and [this] will have a lasting impact on their community.
“A fire is a traumatic event for any community, but when it’s combined with a loss of life, that’s devastating, so our hearts are going out to them today.”
More than 4000 hectares have been burnt so far, and a bushfire watch and act remains active for people bounded by South Coast Highway, Lake Road, Mallee Road, Fitzgerald Road and Koornong Road in West River and West Fitzgerald, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and Shire of Jerramungup.
The fire is moving slowly in a north-east direction, and is contained but not controlled.
About 60 firefighters are working to stop the blaze from spreading, and power has been cut to about 30 surrounding homes and properties.
‘God, I hope it’s not mine’: Geraldton man describes moment he found out his house had burnt down
Meanwhile, a West Australian man has described feeling helpless as he watched on from behind road blocks while his home was destroyed by an out-of-control bushfire on Monday.
More than 200 firefighters worked throughout the weekend and Monday to control fires raging through the town of Geraldton, about five hours drive north of Perth.
Fires in the Mid West region have been downgraded as conditions ease, and emergency services are assessing the damage.
Geraldton man Nick Morgan has described the moment he found out his home had burnt down in a bushfire.Credit: ABC / 9 News Perth
Nick Morgan spoke to ABC Radio on Tuesday morning, and said he first became aware of the blaze when he was out of town.
“I was about an hour’s drive south, and I got a call saying that a fire emergency had erupted,” he said.
“I thought ‘this is bad’, so I headed back to town.
“By the time I got back everything was locked down. I couldn’t even get to my home. I couldn’t even go in and help fight or get stuff out.”
Tragically, Morgan said his pet cat was trapped inside when the fire engulfed his home.
He said the moment he found out his home was gone on Monday morning was “devastating”.
“We were listening to the radio ... there was a caller that mentioned that somebody [on my street] had lost their home because the fire had got into a palm tree.
“I thought, ‘my place has got palm trees. God, I hope it’s not mine.’
“Sometime a little bit after, the phone was ringing, the police were trying to contact me, the shire was trying to contact me, and they confirmed that my place was the one that had gone up.
“It’s a mixture of shock, disbelief, nothing sort of really sunk in at the moment. It’s totally gone. It’s destroyed. There’s nothing much that can be saved out of it.”
Morgan’s home was the only property lost in the blaze, with firefighters managing to save another 600 from the path of the fire.
Bushfire alerts remain in place for the Geraldton suburbs and wider regions of Bluff Point, Spalding, Sunset Beach, Waggrakine and Moresby.
The Arson Squad, Department of Fire and Emergency Service investigators and local Geraldton detectives are all investigating the blazes, which are believed to have been deliberately lit.
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Waggrakine Primary School remains closed as a precaution.
Evacuation centres at QEII Seniors and Community Centre and Northam Recreation Centre have been closed.
While Tuesday’s fire danger rating remains high, firefighters said they were able to control the fires and have reopened the roads to traffic.
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