Difficult week for firefighters in Harvey and Waroona shires as mass lightning strikes cause multiple blazes

Emergency services personnel have had a less than pleasant start to 2023, battling multiple bushfires both at home and across the South West. A freak lightning storm last Monday night sent off a chain reaction across the South West, with lightning bolts striking WA 300,000 times and sparking 19 blazes across the Harvey and Waroona shires. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued alerts for at least three of them on Tuesday morning. The first to cause major concern started near the intersection of Meredith Road and Alexander Road in Yarloop. It was reported about 10am on Tuesday. By 11.40am the fire had been upgraded to a watch and act, with the whole Yarloop townsite and the southwestern part of the Waroona townsite placed on bushfire advice. The fire was downgraded to a bushfire advice just more than an hour later after it was controlled but not contained. There was not much of a reprieve for firefighting crews, with a fire at the nearby McLarty Plantation being upgraded to a watch and act just after 1.30pm. It was downgraded back to a bushfire advice level on Wednesday. The fire was originally reported around 1.15am on Tuesday and was sparked by lightning. A bushfire advice was also in place near Preston Beach in Yalgorup National Park for another blaze believed to have been caused by lightning. Several other fires were sparked across the two shires, with 19 fires in the Shire of Waroona being caused by lightning strikes. A total of seven warnings — including two at emergency level in Donnybrook — were active in the South West on Tuesday and Wednesday, with more than 6000ha razed in the Noggerup-Mumballup area. While the situation had calmed in the Harvey and Waroona Shires by Wednesday, smoke was still thick over the area. As of 1pm Friday, there were still 10 fires in the shires of Harvey and Waroona that were being monitored. Both councils thanked emergency services in posts on Facebook last week. “Staff and volunteers responded quickly to protect life and property in the community and we are so grateful for their efforts,” the Shire of Harvey’s statement read. For the latest emergency information, visit emergency.wa.gov.au.