Ash falls over locked-down Perth as bushfire destroys dozens of homes

The flames spread across thousands of hectares of land, destroying homes close to the Australian city

Flames surround a property under construction off Copley Road in Upper Swan in Perth, Australia. Getty Images

In this photo provided by Department of Fire and Emergency Services, flames approach a road at Wooroloo, near Perth. AP

Firefighters attend a fire at Wooroloo, near Perth. AP

A local resident takes a panoramic image of the bush fire and Perth CBD on her phone from Kings Park. Getty Images

A road block on Great Northern Highway in Perth. EPA

Fire burns on a hill at Wooroloo, near Perth. AP

Firefighters attend a fire at Wooroloo, near Perth. AP

Residents from Ellenbrook play on swings at the Brown Park Recreation Complex evacuation centre in Perth. EPA

People look on as a fire driven by strong winds burns on a ridge in the suburb of Brigadoon in Perth. AFP

Hundreds of residents of Perth, Western Australia, fled their homes as a huge bushfire sweeps towards the north-east of the city, which is currently under a Covid-19 lockdown.

At least 56 homes have been destroyed by the fire. Authorities have issued a warning for an area outside Perth of about 6,418 square kilometres.

More than 250 fire fighters were sent to fight the blaze, which has been exacerbated by a dry summer and temperatures in the high 30s.

On Tuesday authorities said crews battled horrific conditions overnight and that it was unlikely the blaze would be contained that day. Smoke shrouded much of the city and its suburbs.

By noon on Tuesday the blaze had burnt through nearly 7,000 hectares of land after almost doubling in size overnight.

Residents from The Vines area, which was evacuated early on Tuesday morning, said they were worried about where they could go given the snap lockdown. Most headed to an evacuation centre, where social distancing rules and masks are mandatory.

Perth resident Lauren Hearty told The National that ash was falling from the sky in her suburb, Bayswater, 7.5 kilometres from the centre of the city.

“We have one hour of exercise time a day under the [Covid-19] restrictions. I went for a walk this morning with a mask on and had ash falling on me,” she said.

Restrictions were imposed in Perth on Sunday evening after the first case of coronavirus community transmission was reported in the city for 10 months.

Ms Hearty said public compliance with the restrictions had been “really good”.

“Everybody has been wearing masks, from what I have seen. People here are taking it very seriously, and that makes me proud of our city and our state,” she said.

Ms Hearty’s stepfather, who suffers from sleep apnoea, is at particular risk from both Covid-19 and smoke from the bushfires.

“They have all their windows closed, it is insane here now, it is so smoky," she said.

More than 3,100 tests conducted on Sunday and 16,490 tests on Monday revealed no new cases of the virus, but the five-day lockdown will remain in place.

A hotel security guard tested positive for the more infectious UK strain of the virus at the weekend and a list of sites he visited while infected was made public, leading to panic shopping and mass turnouts at testing clinics.

Masks in public are mandatory during lockdown, which has also closed many public venues and non-essential shops, as well as schools.

Western Australians in the locked-down zones have largely followed the restrictions.

Ms Hearty said the Western Australian Government responded well to the new case.

“We are so lucky in Western Australia,” she said.

On Monday a 41-year-old man outside one of the sites identified, Midland shopping centre, was arrested after refusing to put on a free mask offered to him by police. He was denied bail.

On Tuesday it was revealed by the Western Australian health minister that hotel quarantine security personnel did not have to wear masks even while working on the same floor as Covid-19 patients.

PPE use by guards and staff at quarantine hotels has been under renewed scrutiny after the new case was reported.

Health Minister Roger Cook said security guards in hotel quarantine were not required to wear masks at all times.

"Not necessarily if the people are in their rooms and the guard is simply monitoring that corridor. They would probably have to carry it with them in order to protect themselves in the event that someone left the room," he said.