A fire that severely damaged seven cars and caused $125,000 worth of damage in West Australia's mid-west on Saturday has been blamed on an aromatherapy device in one of the vehicles.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) were called to a fire at Seacrest Shopping Centre in the Geraldton suburb of Wandina, 400 kilometres north of Perth.
It is believed the fire started in a small yellow car that spread to nearby vehicles.
A number of vehicles were completely destroyed, with $75,000 worth of damage caused to seven vehicles.
The shopping centre's shade structure melted under the intense heat, at a cost of $50,000.
The fire was deemed not-suspicious and a spokesperson for DFES media said it was caused by an electrical fault in what was believed to be an aromatherapy device in the rear of the vehicle.
It has not been determined whether the device was plugged into the car.
Shoppers told to evacuate
Geraldton resident Tully Clayton was shopping in a supermarket inside the centre when she heard an emergency message over the loudspeaker.
"People in Woolworths were told to abandon their trollies and leave immediately," she said.
"I had parked a few bays over, so my immediate thoughts were, 'I need to get to my car'.
"I literally thought, 'Far out, is it going to explode?' and I just tried to get to my car as quickly as I could and just get out of there."
Ms Clayton said once she reached her car, it was chaotic attempting to leave the area.
"As I got in my car and was leaving, quite a few cars were driving around … people were driving super erratically and I thought, 'I just need to make sure I don't crash and get out of here safely'.
"I was pretty shaken up for a while."
Hot weather can cause fires
On the day of the fire, temperatures in Geraldton reached 40 degrees Celsius, with hot easterly winds.
RAC claims manager Glenn Walker said stationary car fires were very rare.
"The hot weather can be a catalyst for cars to catch fire, particularly when there are items left in the car such as cigarette lighters or pressurised containers.
"The advice is to make sure do not leave items in the car that could catch fire."
Mr Walker said those who needed electrical work undertaken on their vehicle should also make sure it was done by a qualified tradesperson.
He said most cars, when fire damaged, were deemed a write-off.
"Some people think they are a good driver, so they don't need insurance," he said.
"It doesn't matter how good a driver you are, it is important that you've got insurance for all manner of things that could go wrong."
The spokesperson for DFES said no one was hurt but St John Ambulance were called and treated one patient for shock.
