Authorities have contained a bushfire in Western Australia that has destroyed eight properties and burned through thousands of hectares of bushland, and are hopeful residents will be able to return to their homes.

Waroona

Authorities in Western Australia have successfully contained a bushfire that resulted in the loss of eight properties. The fire swept through thousands of hectares of bushland, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. There is hope among officials that residents will soon be able to return to their homes after the devastation.



Multiple homes lost in bushfires near Perth

Well, we've just heard that emergency crews are out on the roads now. They have started walking up and down those roads surveying for potential risks like fallen tree branches or potentially risky trees that could fall on people. And the aim of that is to ultimately try to clear those roads today and open them up to people so that they can get back to their properties. They're aiming for that to happen later today. Maybe it could be tomorrow. It just depends on the state of those roads and the trees that are overhanging them. But really, it is a positive sign that things are starting to look up with that watch and act being downgraded. We've had no further updates on properties. We know that three homes and five smaller properties were lost yesterday. They're still surveying the rest of the damage. We don't have any news about livestock affected either. But things are starting to look a bit better. Obviously, it's not over yet for the huge emergency crew that has been working on this bushfire. There's about over 200 out there at the moment still working to tame that fire. It's currently contained, but it's not yet under control. So still a lot of work to do. But the operation has been huge and they've been working so hard. So really a great sign for them that the wind is getting a little bit gentler today. But on that front, I should say that because of that, the smoke is sort of sticking around. There's no wind to clear it off. So it's still really smoky, particularly one to watch out for for motorists on the road. And how are locals coping with all this, Bridget? Yeah, well, obviously feeling a bit more positive now that we've had that watch and act, the downgrade from the emergency warning. But I think it's still a few I've spoken to are quite emotional. A lot of people spoke of trauma from the 2016 fires when a couple of people actually died and a lot more properties were destroyed. So I think just this this event has really brought back a lot of those memories for people, which is always difficult. And I think people were really vigilant and on high alert for that reason, and obviously devastating for those people whose properties have been destroyed. And also, you know, really just a lot of question marks for those people who haven't been able to get back in to see their property. So I guess they're just sort of praying at the moment. I know that there was a lot of restless nights, people staying in friends' houses and in caravans. So yeah, they're really just waiting to hear more news today about how their properties have fared. And the other thing I guess I should mention is that a few people here are quite frustrated as well, because a lot of people didn't receive the emergency texts warning them of the fires. A couple of people said they received no texts throughout the duration of the bushfires here in Waroona and Murray.

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