The 2016 Waroona–Yarloop bushfire started in the east in the forests of the Darling Scarp before reaching the Swan Coastal Plain and continued westwards until it reached the Indian Ocean. It started as a lightning strike that caused two fires in the Lane Poole Reserve state forest near Dwellingup, Western Australia on 5 January 2016 and then burnt close to Waroona and then through the historical town of Yarloop, destroying it, before continuing southwards towards the outskirts of the town of Harvey and westwards to Preston Beach. Around of land was burnt, two people died and at least 166 buildings were destroyed in Yarloop alone with only ninety buildings surviving. In total 181 buildings and structures were lost with the total cost of fighting the fire and the cost of the damage and the loss resulting estimated at $155 million.
Introduction It was reported by the Bureau of Meteorology that during 2015, the rainfall was well below average in the region. Rainfall was 10% lower than expected and was following a trend of lower rainfalls in the region for the last forty years. 2015 was also warmer with Dwellingup recording its warmest summer in 75 years and the forest fuel loads around the source of the fire were said to be the driest in 25 years. Combined with these fuel loads, the Department of Parks and Wildlife's (P&W) yearly fuel reduction targets via burnoffs had not been achieved over the previous twelve years though it had made improvements in targets in the last 4 years.
Timescale 5 January The Bureau of Meteorology data shows that there were lightning strikes in Lane Poole Reserve, a state forest of jarrah and marri, between 18:00 and 20:00 on Tuesday. The later inquiry concluded that this was the source of the fire that was reported early the next day and consisted of two fires.
6 January The fire was first reported at 07:26 on Wednesday morning, its cause reported as a lightning strike in Lane Poole Reserve, near Dwellingup. It had been detected earlier by a P&W officer who had checked the Sentinel Hotspots website on his computer around 06:30. By 08:30, the P&W officer was at the fire site and resources sent to their location. A bush fire advice warning for the fire was issued at 08:50. Later it was reported that it had grown to an scrub fire when a P&W spotter plane overflew the site. The second fire was tackled first as it would have endangered crews fighting the first if it got out of control. It was extinguished by 11:45. The first fire was then tackled but the effort was hampered by heavy fuel loads, poor access, steep terrain and mining leases.
By 12:00 the fire was 800m east of the Murray River and the firefighters attempted use that barrier as means to containing it. But by 13:45, the fire jumped river and the barrier strategy ended. It was reported that at 13:30, the fire had grown to and by 15:30, the Alcoa's mine leases and rehabilitation forests were burning and property owners between the fire and the town Waroona were warned. At 17:00 the fire was reported to at and moving slowly at 1.5 to 2km/h. Ash from the fire had begun to fall over the town of Waroona around 18:00. Two hours later, it had increased to and was now from the town of Waroona. Waroona soon came under ember attack and more units were sent to the town but the fire appeared west of the South West Highway as it left the hills and entered the coastal plain and farmlands. These new fires were probably started by lightning and pyro-cumulonimbus cloud over the original fire with main fire still far away.
The fire would pass Waroona to the south of the town and into the western farmlands via the Waroona Main Drain, around 21:30, which acted as a fuse due to the fuel load along the banks of this drain, as well the contours of the terrain and the convergence of two streams. Later in the evening, the fire was upgraded to an emergency level and the first emergency alerts were issued to residents in Waroona and east of the town at 22.25 instructing the residents either to flee their homes or stay and defend them.
That night, eight campers were trapped in the forest at Lake Navarino and firefighters were sent to rescue them but were trapped themselves with the campers for one and a half hours. The first injuries from firefighters were received. Three were injured fighting the fire. Two firefighters received minor burns when a paddock fire got out of control and when attempting to flee their vehicle became stuck and fire overran them. They and two others had to escape on foot into a burnt-out area to escape the inferno. One was later evacuated by air ambulance to Peel Health Campus with burns to his back. At 22:30, the first evacuation centre had been opened at Pinjarra. Just before midnight, the fire was reported from Waroona and a report later at midnight stated the fire had travelled from the ignition point and had burnt out .
7 January
The northern edge of the fire was now reported moving towards Dwellingup and Pinjarra while the southern edge was reported moving towards Harvey, Hamel and Waroona mainly due to wind direction being a north-easterly. Places declared as emergency areas include Waroona, Preston Beach and Harvey and surrounding areas. At 02:00, the fire to the east of Waroona slowed as it burnt younger vegetation.
During the day, temperatures were said to have reached degrees, with wind gusts reported in the fire area that made the creation of containment areas difficult. The perimeter of the fire was now estimated to be around . The fire could not be scaled properly from the air due to thick smoke. The fire front was reported to be wide. During the day, a Pyrocumulonimbus cloud formed over the fire area and could be seen from space as well as away in Perth, but only lasted an hour.
By Thursday afternoon, damage received to this point was described as property, livestock and one home with burnt. Ash was now reported falling in Bunbury. At this point, 200 firefighters, 23 appliances, 5 dozers and water bombers were being used to fight the fire.
By evening, sixty people had sought shelter at the Pinjarra emergency evacuation centre while another fifty people sought shelter at the Australind evacuation centre. The Southbound Festival in Busselton was called off at 20:30pm by promoter David Chitty after consultation with emergency authorities when 15,000 people were expected to arrive in the region.
Harvey At 06.30 an emergency evacuation centre had opened in Harvey but was then closed at 12:30 and one at Australind opened as by 13:30, Harvey was now bushfire alert. Patients were evacuated from the Harvey Hospital after it was closed and they were moved to other hospitals.
Preston Beach Smoke and ash had begun raining down on Preston Beach on Wednesday night, with heavy winds, and by 03:00, an evacuation point was set up at the beach carpark. By morning, residents and holidaymakers faced evacuation from the beach at Preston Beach. Some were forced to stay on the beach, while others evacuated to Mandurah by boat. Other evacuees who could, were ordered by authorities to drive south. A smoke cloud could now be seen as far as Perth, away.
Roads Parts of Forrest Highway were closed from 02:00 and South Western Highway later that evening to protect drivers and firefighters from injury. The reason the South Western Highway was closed to traffic was that the Samson Brook bridge, south of Waroona, had been destroyed by fire. Firefighters fought to keep the Forrest Highway protected so it could be opened sooner if the South Western Highway remained closed for longer. Roads around Waroona were expected to be closed around three to five days. Incident controllers at the Department of Parks and Wildlife said the Forrest Highway would probably open up first due to a bridge down on the South Western Highway. Main Roads WA said it would attempt to build an alternative route around the bridge but the area would need accessing and a decision would take a week. Albany Highway and Coalfields Highway remained open.
Waroona, Hamel and Wagerup Later in the day, fire units were now sent to protect the Yarloop townsite and Alcoa's Wagerup refinery. Firefighters responded to fire reports south of Waroona and close to Hamel with winds and 3m high flames. An hour later the fire reached Hamel while to the west the fire was predicted to reach the Forrest Highway in a few hours and so parts are closed. By 08:00 the fire enters Hamel and an hour later, the fire was heading towards the Wagerup refinery northeast of Yarloop and fire crews were sent there soon afterwards and spend the rest of the morning fighting the blaze in the area. The plant loses power mid-afternoon and by 19:00 the refinery's gas plant was under threat.
Yarloop Around 08:00, fire units were sent east of Yarloop to fight the fires as they advance westward. By 11:00, spot fires could be seen north-east of Yarloop close to Wagerup refinery and so more units were sent to Yarloop. The Water Corporation asked around 13:00 that generators be brought into Yarloop to get the water pumps running, a second request for the day, but the idea was rejected by fire officials. In Yarloop, residents reported that water and power were lost between 14:00 and 15:00. The tanks had been drain by residents preparing their properties for the fire. By 15:00, the fire was reported to be north and east of Yarloop and more units were brought in to slow the fire east of the town. These units attempted to protect Yarloop by constructing an earth break along existing a powerline servitude east of the town. Water Corporation announced at 17:00 there was no longer water in Yarloop and requested water be tanked in. The Harvey Shire Fire Controller asked for more units to be sent to Yarloop in the afternoon but his calls went unheeded and by 18:00 the units east of the town who were trying to build the earth firebreak retreated from the fire which has become dangerous and was now 1-2km away from the South Western Highway close to the town itself. Hot easterly winds at appear suddenly and begin to blow embers over the town around 19:20 and 15 minutes later an emergency warning was issued by authorities that names the town itself under threat. By 19:30, the fire had reached the outskirts of the town via ember attacks and spot fires and the remaining residents, around 200 people, evacuated to the oval. The Harvey Shire Fire Controller again asked for more units to fight the fire at the town and this time units were allocated and sent. By 8.30pm the South Western Highway had been crossed by fire as it headed for Yarloop with 50m high flames and winds at 46kmh winds reported with urgent requests sent for more fire units as the structures in the town were on fire. After the water supply was lost from the morning in Yarloop, irrigation water from Harvey was rerouted to the oval and sprinklers used to keep people on the oval wet. The firefighter's in town, overwhelmed by the fire and with the lack of available water, remained on the oval too and when the fire had passed, began to mop up the remaining fires. As units arrived they attempted to fight the fires with minimal water and by 21:40 the town was fully ablaze. Just before midnight, the Yarloop fire was now southwest of the town. Historical buildings lost to the fire in the town included the Yarloop Town Hall built in 1938, the old Yarloop Hospital, the Yarloop Hotel, and the Yarloop Workshops and Steam Museum which was 115 years old. The curator of that museum, Geoff Fortune, estimated $12 million of damage to the old boilers and engineering machines as well as steam and diesel locomotives. Other historical buildings destroyed include the old mill boarding house, hotel, first post office and timber workers' cottages.
8 January