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Residents in a series of coastal communities threatened by a bushfire have been told it was too late to leave and they should find shelter as the fire burned through evacuation points.
An emergency warning was in place for parts of Wedge Island, Grey, Cervantes, Nambung and Cooljarloo in the shire of Dandaragan in Western Australia on Friday morning.
At the fishing shack villages of Wedge Island and Grey, about 170km north of Perth, about 40 residents who chose to stay were told: “It is too late to leave and you must act immediately and take shelter now to survive.”
“There is a threat to lives and homes,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in an alert early on Friday.
People in the seaside holiday town of Cervantes, about 200km north of Perth, were also told it was too late to leave.
“Fire has impacted evacuation routes and leaving now will put your life in danger,” an alert said.
“You need to identify a room in your home where you can shelter from the approaching fire.
“It should have running water, such as a kitchen or laundry, and have a clear exit so you can easily escape.”
An incident controller, Damien Pumphrey, on Thursday night described the fire as a fierce blaze and said a change in wind direction was fanning it towards the communities.
He said difficult, windy weather conditions were expected for the next two days.
“The fire currently has a 48km perimeter … increasing the challenge for firefighters,” he told reporters.
More than 200 firefighters were battling the Dandaragan blaze. Crews were also building containment lines around Cervantes, a town of about 500 people.
Two large air tankers from the eastern states were to join the battle to help the four fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters fighting it.
Parts of Indian Ocean Drive and multiple surrounding roads were closed.
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“The bushfire is moving in a westerly direction towards Cervantes, Wedge and Grey,” emergency services said. “It is not contained or controlled.”
The blaze was started on Monday by a fatal car crash and has burned through more than 49,000 hectares of bushland.
Two volunteer firefighters were burned on Wednesday as the blaze flared.
A man in his 60s, who was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, remained there in a stable condition.
The other firefighter sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
An evacuation centre at Jurien Bay Sports and Recreation Centre was closed overnight but was expected to reopen on Friday morning.
Nambung national park has also been closed.
Temperatures are set to reach the high 30s over coming days, with squally winds predicted.
Residents along the Ashburton coast have been warned to brace for extreme fire conditions on Sunday.
