A bushfire has broken out in suburban Perth, with a quick-moving blaze putting dozens of homes and lives at risk.
It was spotted just before 3pm on Thursday in a small pocket of bushland in Ellenbrook, about 30 kilometres north-east of Perth.
The area is surrounded by more than 100 houses, tightly packed in a modern residential estate.
The fire impacted a residential neighbourhood in Ellenbrook. (ABC News)
A watch-and-act warning is in place for people in an area bounded by The Broadway, Galatea Pass, Farmaner Parkway and Elmridge Parkway.
Firefighters say it is not safe for residents who fled the area to return.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) district officer Tim McGrade said he was aware of between six and eight properties that had sustained damage.
Smoke rises above a home near Ellenbrook. (Supplied)
He said authorities were not aware of any injuries, despite chaos on the roads as the fire closed in. One car was reported to have crashed into a tree.
Mr McGrade said it was too early to say if the fire was deliberately lit, with the arson squad conducting an investigation.
At least three planes and two helicopters took to the air to assist in the operation.
The police arson squad was on site at the control centre, consulting with fire crews.
Some people on the periphery of the warning zone were standing outside their houses prepared to leave.
A cabana is engulfed in flames. (ABC News)
Aerial footage showed a cabana engulfed in flames in the backyard of a home.
Huge plumes of smoke could be seen blowing across the residential area.
Emergency services were deployed to the scene, including aerial support to battle the blaze.
Two helicopters took to the skies at emergency services looked to protect more than 100 homes. (ABC News: Bridget McArthur)
Look back at how ABC readers and other Australians responded to this live
moment.
2h agoThu 29 Jan 2026 at 9:47am
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To summarise what we just heard from DFES Incident Controller Tim McGrade:
The Ellenbrook fire has been downgraded to a Watch and ActResidents who left the area are being urged not to return yet, as crews continue working in the areaAn estimated 6 -8 properties have been damagedIt remains unclear if the fire was deliberately litBoth volunteer and career fire crews have been working on the fireWinds are expected to persist in the area overnight
2h agoThu 29 Jan 2026 at 9:43am
Winds to persist overnight
Winds in the area have added a challenge to fighting this fire.
Mr McGrade said the winds would persist overnight, turning to an easterly trend.
He said the wind had been blowing into the back of some properties, slightly impacting them.
He said while some people had decided to stay and defend their properties, most had decided to leave.
2h agoThu 29 Jan 2026 at 9:41am
‘Not quite safe to return’
While the bushfire level has been dropped to a Watch and Act Mr Mcgrade has urged residents who left to remain away until further notice.
“It’s not quite safe to return yet,” he said.
“Just because of those crews working in the area.
“We will adjust those warnings as we need to.”
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Fire trucks were seen hosing down scorched land right next to the fence line of some homes.
Patio roofing in a house is damaged by the fire. (ABC News)
‘Mayhem’ on the ground
Resident Bruce described the situation on the ground in Ellenbrook as “mayhem”.
“There’s people obviously trying to get out of the area, the immediate area, and a lot of panicked residents,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
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“Some on their roofs, quite close to the flames, but generally yeah, it’s pretty chaotic.”
He said he saw the blaze spreading quickly, and said the height of some flames were towering over homes.
“It’s jumped a couple of roads already, heading east,” he said.
Residents have described some of the flames as being twice the height of their homes.
“The flames just came so quickly … one minute it was there, and the next it was here and funnelling down our street,” Natalie Packer said.
Her neighbour Sylvana Hedger recalled the chaos of the blazes pivoting in the wind.
“The wind has changed directions several times, so just when we thought we were in the clear, it sprung up in front of us,” she said.
A firefighter extinguishes flames in bushland. (ABC News)
Another resident, Mark Musariri, was hosing down a strip of bushland behind his home while flames were smouldering in another nearby patch of bushland.
“Scared … I had to take off with the kids first then come back and fight the fire,” he said.
The temperature in Perth reached 34C on Thursday, with strong winds forecast to continue during the evening.
Both professional and volunteer firefighters were called in to combat the blaze. (ABC News: Bridget McArthur)
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