A caravan park to the north of Perth was evacuated early yesterday morning after a bushfire swept through surrounding countryside.
Holidaymakers and residents were forced to leave Ledge Point – about 13 kilometres south of Lancelin – when a fast moving and unpredictable blaze came within metres of campsites.
9News reports that the fire, fanned by gusty winds, tore through 800 hectares starting about 1am on Monday.
It says evacuees were given 30 minutes to flee their homes.
The caravan park was in the fire’s path and 150 people who were fast asleep were told to shelter on the beach.
The bushfire has now been brought under control. PIC: DFES (file pic)
Donna Boucaut told the West Australian newspaper that she and her partner were on a trip from Mandurah in their new caravan when they had to rush out of the caravan park at 3.30am.
“The fireys pulled everyone to the front of the caravan park to do roll calls and check everyone was there and then told us to go to the beach,” she said. “We went to the beach, and police said you have about half an hour window to get out of town, they drove around the caravan park with their speakers saying ‘evacuate, evacuate’ … we had to leave the caravan there, it was very frightening.”
Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Shaun Champ told the West Australian that the blaze — which authorities have deemed suspicious — came within metres of homes and the caravan park.
“The fire has come within metres of the townsite itself, so that being the caravan park, and also those first round of homes adjacent to that bushland,” he said. “Fortunately, there’s been no damage reported to any properties, which is a very good result, shows the efforts of fire crews on the ground.”
Around 150 firefighters were needed to control the bushfire, and helicopters and planes also helped with water drops.
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Arsonists need an automatic 25 year goal sentence when convicted, no parole.
The trouble is the hellraisers are usually minors. Immature individuals which think it’s a big lark to cause such devastation, death and suffering to wildlife and possibly people.
It’s stealth and remoteness that enables them to get away with the crime. We, as individuals, have to stay vigilant and report anything suspicious to help police catch them.