Farmer believes broken powerline sparked destructive WA bushfire

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A Great Southern farmer believes a blaze that ripped through 11,000 hectares and destroyed three homes was sparked by a broken Western Power line running through his property.

Ben Robinson, a West Arthur farmer and the local shire’s chief bushfire control officer, said he suspected strong winds caused the wire to break, impacting powerlines and igniting the field below.

The fire, first reported just after 1pm on Friday, burned across the shires of West Arthur and Wagin, about 200km south-east of Perth, for much of the next 24 hours. 

It was eventually brought under control on Saturday morning, but not before it destroyed three homes, sheds, farming equipment, fences and livestock.

The fire destroyed three homes and several outbuildings in the Shire of West Arthur. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)

“The earth wire isn’t live, but I would say what’s happened is when it snapped, it flicked up and hit the live wires and sparked,” he said

“It was pretty strong winds that day so it was getting buffed by the wind.

“Whether it [the wire] was on a joint, I don’t know, I didn’t have a close enough look where it actually broke, I just saw it laying on the ground.”

Additional damage to property, fire and power infrastructrue from the bushfire near Arthur River.

A fallen powerline on the outskirts of the fire zone near Arthur River. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)

Mr Robinson said once the blaze got going, it quickly burned out of control. 

“We [had] well over 50kph winds when it went up — it was a pretty horrific sort of day and then to have 43-degree temperatures as well, there was no stopping it,” he said.

“We’ve got a fair bit of burnt country and lost a fair few fences, haven’t got a definite number on livestock yet but we’ve certainly got some burnt ones and we’ve got some missing ones.”

Additional damage to property, fire and power infrastructrue from the bushfire near Arthur River.

A fire-damaged power pole near the fire zone at Arthur River in Western Australia. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)

Mr Robinson said Western Power was quick to repair the broken wire he believed was the ignition point.

“It’s right where the fire started, it’s 100 metres off the edge of the road, the edge of the bitumen, so it couldn’t have been anything on the road,” he said.

“We had a full movement ban here as well, so there wasn’t anyone in any of the paddocks when the fire started.”

A man in a pink polo shirt

Tom Spurr says he lost power to his home before it was engulfed in flames. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)

Tom Spurr, whose century-old family home was lost in the fires, reported similar issues with electricity infrastructure near his farm.

“About lunchtime we had the power go out for about 50 seconds, and then it clicked back on,” he told the ABC on Saturday.

“We walked outside and could see smoke just starting over the paddock where the [Western Power] lines are.

“We went out to get some water ready … next minute the smoke was coming straight over the top of us and I thought; well, that’s it — she’s changed and it’s going to hit us.”

Power poles in a field

Power poles on the Spurr’s farm were felled by the fast-moving fire. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)

Utility’s poor fire record

Western Power has a complex history when it comes to bushfire damage caused by its infrastructure.

An EnergySafety Report found it was directly responsible for the 2009 Toodyay Bushfire which destroyed 38 homes, but the utility denied any legal liability.

More recently, It was fined $80,000 by WorkSafe for causing a fire that tore through farms and killed hundreds of animals in Wickepin and Narrogin.

Asked whether a fallen powerline caused this fire, Western Power Executive Manager Asset Operations Zane Christmas said the utility was focused on restoring power to customers in the area.

Additional damage to property, fire and power infrastructrue from the bushfire near Arthur River.

Multiple locals reported sparking and smoke near a power transmitter close to Arthur River. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)

“I’m not aware of any situations like that,” he told ABC Radio Perth on Monday.

“If there’s an example like that, that’s not anything we want to hear.

“Of course that would be a concern.”

When the ABC contacted Western Power about Mr Robinson and Mr Spurr’s claims, the utility declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

A spokesperson from the Department of Fire and Emergency said it was still investigating the cause of the blaze.

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