A 41-year-old Kalamunda woman has been charged with deliberately lighting the bushfire that tore through bushland in Forrestfield on Thursday, threatened homes across the Perth Hills and knocked out power to Perth Airport.
Police allege the woman went to a firebreak near Holmes Road and Whistlepipe Court in Forrestfield between 1.30pm and 1.40pm on Thursday 29 October and used a "mobile heat source" to light several fires along it.
She was arrested on Friday by officers from Strike Force Vulcan, the WA Police bushfire arson taskforce, working with Forrestfield police. She has been charged with four counts of wilfully lighting, or causing to be lit, a fire likely to injure or cause damage, and was due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court today, Saturday 31 October.
"It will be alleged, between 1.30pm and 1.40pm, the accused attended a firebreak along Holmes Road and Whistlepipe Court, and used a mobile heat source to set alight multiple fires along the firebreak." — WA Police spokesperson, via WAtoday
The allegations have not been tested in court.
A fire that moved fast
The blaze took off on Thursday afternoon in bushland around Mundy Regional Park, on the edge of the Darling Scarp. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued an emergency warning as it spread, telling people in parts of Forrestfield, Kalamunda and Lesmurdie there was a possible threat to lives and homes, and warning some areas it was too late to leave.
Residents described the flames appearing with almost no warning, and thick smoke could be seen across the eastern suburbs. Roads stayed closed for hours, and some people outside the fire zone could not get home until well into the evening. The fire was later downgraded, but residents were told not to return straight away while crews worked to contain it.
Chaos at the airport
The fire also caused a major power outage at Perth Airport, a few kilometres to the west. Check-in and baggage systems went down across the terminals, departures were delayed, some arriving flights were held up and some passengers on inbound flights were told to get off their planes. The airport said services were back to normal by Thursday evening.
Arson squad detectives began investigating the fire as suspicious on Friday morning. Later that day police appealed publicly for help to find a woman they believed could assist the investigation.
What happens now
The woman's first court appearance is expected to deal with bail and adjourn the case. The charges are indictable, which means the matter is likely to move to the District Court if it goes ahead.
The arrest comes before summer has properly begun. Strike Force Vulcan is set up each fire season to target deliberately lit fires, and police say tips from the public are often what identifies a suspect.
Why it matters
The Perth Hills have some of the highest bushfire risk in the metro area, and Forrestfield, Kalamunda and Lesmurdie run straight into the scarp's bushland. Thursday's fire showed how one blaze on the urban fringe can do far more than threaten homes. In about 10 minutes, according to the police allegation, it was enough to send residents indoors, close roads and stop the state's main airport.
Anyone with information about suspicious fires or fire-lighting can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at crimestopperswa.com.au.
Sources: WA Police statement as reported by WAtoday; The West Australian; PerthNow; @perthnow on X.
Photo: Bushland in Mundy Regional Park (file photo, February 2014, not the fire), by Colton Harris-Moore via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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