New Year’s Eve Turns to Nightmare as Teen’s Firecracker Sparks Emergency-Level Bushfire in Perth Hills, Leaving Thousands Without Power and Homes Under Threat
- A 19-year-old man has been charged with breach of duty after allegedly throwing a firecracker into dry grass, igniting the devastating blaze.
- The emergency-level bushfire has left thousands of people without power, threatened homes and lives, and razed more than 25 hectares of bushland.
- Residents were forced to flee their homes in the middle of the night as the fire spread rapidly, with many waiting anxiously at roadblocks as emergency services battled to contain the blaze.
- The fire has been downgraded to a watch and act warning, but authorities warn it still poses a significant risk to the community amid challenging weather conditions.
A night that was supposed to be filled with celebration and cheer turned into a nightmare for residents in the Perth Hills as a teenager’s reckless actions sparked an emergency-level bushfire that threatened homes and lives.
Arson squad detectives have charged a 19-year-old man with breach of duty after he allegedly threw a firecracker into dry grass, igniting the devastating blaze that has left thousands of people without power and razed more than 25 hectares of bushland.
The fire was reported around 12.30am on New Year’s Day, and about 160 ground crew have been battling the blaze amid warm conditions, with an expected forecast maximum of 36 degrees Celsius.
Maida Vale resident Dick Mizerski and his wife woke up in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke, and could see flames across the road from their home, which had lost power.
“The only thing we could do was get two dogs, one dog wouldn’t come, he was scared,” Mr Mizerski said, his voice shaking with emotion.
Mr Mizerski and his wife were forced to flee their home as the fire threatened to engulf it, with smoke enveloping their property and visibility so poor that he effectively drove blind on his driveway.
“It was dark and you couldn’t see anything, lights were out, fire was all around. I don’t know how I did it, I just kind of judged where I had to turn … the gate is electric so I had to drive through it to open it up,” he said.
“The only thing that matters to me now is my dog … I just hope he didn’t suffer if he died.”
Many residents waited anxiously at roadblocks on Thursday morning as emergency services attempted to ensure their homes were safe enough to return to.
DFES incident controller Paul Postma said there had been unconfirmed reports of damage to fences, a boat, outside structures and a pool shed.
“At this stage we are still investigating further reports of damage and the fire has predominantly been in the national park, but it has come out and impacted a couple of residential properties,” he said.
Mr Postma said the fire still posed a “significant risk to the community” amid challenging weather conditions.
“It’s going to take us a number of hours to make sure that we get the fire controlled,” he said.
“The weather conditions at the moment are not conducive to us keeping the fire well and truly in the box.
“So we will be working very hard all day and all night to make sure we stay in control of the fire.”
Aerial support has been sent to help firefighters on the ground battle the blaze, and flights at Perth Airport have not been affected by the fire.
At the height of the blaze, more than 2,000 homes and businesses lost power, but most had been restored by 9am, leaving about 250 still waiting to be reconnected.
City of Kalamunda Mayor Margaret Thomas said the situation early in the day was “dire” and people in the area were “nervous and scared”.
“Let’s just hope that our great [firefighters] get this under control,” she told ABC Radio Perth.