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Perth sweltered through one of the hottest days of the year on Sunday, before being hit by a thunderstorm that caused mass power outages and spot fires across the metropolitan area.
Perth TikTokker Janelle Han, who has over 580,000 followers, posted to the app on Sunday afternoon after noticing spot fires caused by lightning on her way to volleyball training.
Han and several neighbours ran back and forth with buckets of water to put them out before they could spread and cause damage to neighbouring homes.
Multiple blazes broke out across the state, including in Chittering, where 400 hectares were burnt.
Further south, in Seville Grove, a scrub fire came dangerously close to homes with winds up to 75 kilometres per hour putting strain on firefighters.
Other homes were at risk of flooding after a thunderstorm hit later in the day, bringing with it heavy rainfall, lightning and hail.
In Rivervale, a family were shaken after a tree smashed through their windshield while they were still inside.
One passenger told 9News Perth that glass had gone “everywhere, into my mouth and over me, and the tree branch nearly hit me in the head”.
Optus Stadium also copped heavy rain and lightning that delayed the Scorchers’ first Big Bash game of the season.
The mercury soared to a maximum of 40 degrees in some suburbs around 2.30pm, before dropping dramatically to just 22 degrees in less than two hours.
The Department of Fire and Emergency services released a statement on Sunday night claiming there had been a “high volume of emergency triple zero calls”.
“Emergency triple zero in Western Australia is extremely busy due to major incidents,” the statement posted to Facebook read.
“If you require the State Emergency Service, please call 132 500. Please be aware SES are responding to a high volume of calls on a priority basis.
“If you require bushfire information please call 133 337. These services cannot be connected through triple zero.”
Western Power reported that the storm activity had caused “high fault levels across the network and may lead to extended outages”.
Thousands of customers in suburbs including Beckenham, Cannington, Forrestfield, High Wycombe, Mount Hawthorn, Collbinia, Balga and Bayswater have been impacted.
The outages also impacted multiple sets of traffic lights, with drivers urged to take precautions and slow down on the roads.
Power is expected to be restored at 1pm on Monday.
Big Don’s Smoked Meats also lost power, and said they had concerns over 5000 kilograms of meat stored in two sea containers and a walk-in fridge that could be lost as a result.
The calm after the storm. Credit: Heather McNeill
Their roof was also damaged and their kitchen flooded.
Further away from the city, and more than 24,000 homes in the Mid West region and Geraldton were hit by a power outage.
Nationals WA have called for urgent action, with Member for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr stating the outages highlighted a long-standing failure to provide reliable power to the region.
“Today’s outages are not an isolated incident – they are part of a pattern that regional communities have been dealing with for more than a decade,” she said.
“Reliable electricity is a basic service, yet people in the Mid West and Geraldton are routinely left without power, often during extreme heat events that pose real risks to health and safety.
“When a relatively common weather event like a thunderstorm can knock out power to tens of thousands of people, it’s clear the system is fragile and vulnerable.”
Member for Mid-West Shane Love said impacts were being felt acutely by small businesses, many of which relied on power to operate safely and viably.
“Small businesses are losing stock, losing customers and losing income,” he said.
“For cafés, retailers, and pharmacies, every hour without power matters – and these outages undermine confidence in doing business in our region.”
Love said the outages reinforced the need for decisive action following the 2021 review into widespread power failures, conducted by Australian Energy Market Commissioner Michelle Shepherd.
“That review examined outages affecting around 107,000 Western Power customers across Perth, Peel, the South West and the Mid West over the Christmas period in 2021,” he said.
“Four years on, regional communities are still waiting to see meaningful improvements.
“Enough reviews, enough excuses — it’s time for real investment and real outcomes to ensure the lights stay on.”
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