The community and fire crews are breathing a sigh of relief as 35-day bushfire is officially downgraded

A bushfire which ravaged Western Australia’s South West coastline for more than a month has been officially downgraded to advice levels. Incident responders have been working in tough conditions for 35 days to contain a bushfire in the Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux national parks in the Shire of Manjimup, battling intense heat, inaccessible terrain and unpredictable fire behaviour. Fatigue had begun to set in for the emergency personnel and effected residents on day 33, however the fire had reached its peak. The fire was downgraded a day later on March 14. More than 12mm of rainfall on the fire grounds around Windy Harbour and Northcliffe resulted in a collected sigh of relief for the community and fire crews. A Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions spokesperson said crews from DBCA’s Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Fire and Emergency Services and volunteer brigades had a gruelling few weeks working on the Chesapeake fire. Lightning sparked the fires on February 9, which burned through 37,000ha of bush. Vision showing the full extent of the blaze was released by DBCA on March 15, showing just how close the blaze got to the communities of Windy Harbour and Northcliffe, and the challenges faced by firefighters on the ground. “At one stage, more than 250 firefighters, including resources from New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland were working on the fire as it escalated to emergency warning status twice during the fire’s duration,” a spokesperson said. Regional fire services co-ordinator Brad Barton said the fire was unusual for Western Australia. “We’ve had some very big incidents but to run for over a month, that’s pretty unusual,” he said. Mr Barton said the terrain was challenging, including mature karri forests, regrowth forest, coastal plain, swamps and heathlands. The bushfire is now contained and there is no threat to lives or homes but it is not controlled. Firefighters will be mopping up and patrolling for some time, given the size of the fire. Numerous roads are still closed between South Western Highway and Windy Harbour Road, south of Middleton Road, as well as south of Richardson Road to the coast.