Three people are missing as devastating bushfires in Western Australia continue to rage uncontrolled. Much of the town of Yarloop, 130km south of Perth, has been reduced to cinders after fleeing residents described the town “raining ash”.
“There is bugger all left,” said Alex Jovanovich, who stayed in the town to protect his home.
Another resident, Ron Sackville, said: “Once it hit the town there was no stopping it because the houses were just exploding. They were just going, one after the other, down the street here.”
A missing family of three were found on Friday, but authorities said the fate of three other people was unknown. At least 95 homes were destroyed in Yarloop.
The bushfire, sparked by a lightning strike northeast of Waroona on Wednesday, had burned through almost 60,000 hectares by Friday afternoon.
The community of Preston Beach was completely cut off by flames which had reached the coast, and the fire perimeter stretched to an enormous 212km and continued to grow.
On Friday afternoon the department of fire and emergency services warned residents of a number of towns they needed to evacuate immediately, but for some locations it was too late to leave.
Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Wayne Gregson said Yarloop had suffered “catastrophic losses.”
Two people were airlifted of the town which has a population of 545, while 80 were being evacuated by road.
A heritage-listed workshop and steam museum were destroyed in the blaze. Caretaker Phil Stanton said: “It’s bloody completely disappeared. It’s just a cloud of ash.
Resident Kate Barry fled with her four children. “You couldn’t breathe, it was just raining ash,” she said.
Four firefighters were wounded, and one fire engine was engulfed by flames in Lake Clifton.
An emergency warning remains in place for the Shires of Waroona and Harvey, including Lake Clifton and Preston Beach on the coast, south to Myalup and 30km inland to Cookernup.
Almost 700 people have registered or sought refuge at two evacuation centres, while about 3,900 properties remain without power.
The authorities said food and water would be delivered to Preston Beach by air and available to residents at the general store.
Authorities were exploring getting assistance from interstate, as some firefighters had been working for more than 30 hours.
Rain in the area was not enough to have an impact, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The government will give disaster relief payments of up to $3,000 to people who have lost their homes to the fire, residents at an evacuation centre were told on Friday afternoon.
However, people would not be able to find out for certain if their homes were among the 95 destroyed until at least tomorrow.
“People don’t know yet what’s happened to their houses, to their farms, to their stock, to their pets,” said WA’s acting premier, Kim Hames.
“It’s a very trying time.”
Murray Cowper, WA MP for Pinjarra, earlier toured an affected area and said the fire situation was something not seen since 1961.
