Wooroloo bushfire: Man charged over devastating blaze which destroyed 86 homes

Tim Clarke and Michael TraillThe West Australian
VideoAt least a dozen families who lost their homes in the Wooroloo bushfire have been given temporary mobile accommodation, with more than 20 other Perth hills households expected to receive their own “recovery pod” in coming weeks.

WA Police have charged a man with a breach of duty — alleging his angle grinder sparked the devastating Wooroloo bushfire earlier this year.

The 40-year-old man, who lived in Wooroloo, was first interviewed just days after the vicious blaze which ultimately destroyed 86 homes and tore through 10,750 hectares.

Today he was arrested again and charged with one count of breach of duty, and one of carrying out an activity in the open air that causes, or is likely to cause, a fire.

“It will be alleged the man used a mechanical device to remove a padlock on a sea container located on his property subsequently igniting a fire,” a police statement said.

“It is further alleged the man did not take action to prevent the fire starting as is required during catastrophic fire conditions.”

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The offences carry a 15 year jail term however police will not be alleging he started the fire deliberately.

He was refused bail and will appear before the Northbridge Magistrates Court tomorrow.

The fire, sparked on February 1, began in shocking fire conditions – with the daytime temperature reaching 38C.

Over the next hour, triple-0 operators fielded 66 calls.

Camera IconWA Police have charged a 40-year-old Wooroloo man with a breach of duty — alleging his angle grinder sparked the bushfire earlier this year which destroyed 86 homes and tore through 10,750 hectares. Credit: DFES/DFES / Incident Photographer Evan Collis
Camera IconFire fighters combat the Wooroloo Bushfire that has spread towards Ellenbrook. Credit: DFES Incident Photographer Evan Collis/DFES Incident Photographer Evan Collis
Camera IconThe fire destroyed 86 homes. Credit: Evan Collis/DFES/Evan Collis/DFES

And within 45 minutes, the first emergency warning — one of more than 160 — was issued.

In the first 12 hours of the blaze, there were 140 fire trucks and 280 firefighters on the ground. At the height of the incident later in the week, that number ballooned to more than 500 firefighters and an extra 300 emergency services personnel.

The blaze was so intense in its first moments — fuelled by gusty winds of up to 55km/h — it moved at 3km/h, stretching 26km to the west from Wooroloo in a matter of hours, leaving total devastation in its path.

Camera IconFile pics - Wooroloo Bushfire. Fire fighters tackle the Wooroloo blaze on Tuesday 2 February, 2021. Helitacs attack the fire from above Picture Evan Collis/DFES Credit: Evan Collis/DFES
Camera IconBurnt out semi-trailer. Credit: Ron D'Raine/WA News, Ron D'Raine
Camera IconProperty damage caused by the Wooroloo fires. Credit: 7NEWS/7NEWS

Authorities later said most of the damage was done in the first eight hours of the fire, as flames reached the height of a five storey building.

The blaze moved rapidly, jumping across Toodyay Road, and putting the Walyunga National Park under threat.

Within 30 minutes of jumping Toodyay Road, it is believed the fire reached Gidgegannup’s Tilden Park Estate — where it is understood 56 homes were lost.

Fire officials revealed crews were battling spot fires appearing around 500 metres in front of the fire.

And amid the chaos, 120 local horses had to be relocated from the fire area.

Camera IconProperties burnt to the ground just north of Noble Falls. Credit: The West Australian/Ian Munro
Camera IconDFES Arson officers at the scene where the fire started. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian

Phil Randall, whose Tilden Park Estate — which was nearly entirely razed — home was lost during the blaze, said charges finally being laid on the alleged culprit might lead to some closure to the tight-knit community.

“I think everyone wants a result from the investigations that were going one, it’s good to see that there may be one, because for a while there we didn’t hear anything,” he said.

“Everyone was wondering how this all started. . . it will be good for a lot of people to get some closure.”

Camera IconA burnt out car sits on Harper Road in Wooroloo. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian
Camera IconBurnt out cars in front of Acacia Prison. Credit: Ron D'Raine/WA News

By sunrise on Tuesday, the fire had travelled 26km. Residents in nearby suburbs, including Ellenbrook and The Vines, were woken in the middle of the night by texts telling them to leave immediately.

Eventually, 25 different aircraft were used to fight the blaze, with more than 5.2 million litres of foam, water and retardant was dropped on the fire.

The Insurance Council of Australia put the cost of the fire at $91 million, with around 1000 claims having been made, and more than 600 cleared.

While 86 homes were lost in the Wooroloo blaze, it is estimated about 200 were saved.

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"A version of events was provided to police at that time," Acting Commander Tony Longhorn said.

"Further investigations between DFES and WA Police arson squad investigators were conducted — inclusive of expert reports, weather data — and these were used to identify the most likely ignition source of the fire.

"As a result of those further investigations, earlier today the 40-year-old male from Wooroloo was arrested and again interviewed in relation to the fire.

"We've all got a duty of care and in this instance, we will allege that this individual didn't take the appropriate precautions to prevent a fire which impacted on thousands [of people].”

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