Arrowsmith bushfire: Firefighters still battling blaze as Brand Highway reopened

A bushfire “watch and act” warning has been downgraded to “advice” for residents in south eastern parts of Arrowsmith and Arrowsmith East in WA’s Mid West.

Firefighters rushed to the scene when the blaze was reported just before 10am Saturday morning, believed to have started near the Twin Hills Rest Area in Arrowsmith.

“There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching in the area and conditions are changing,” the watch and act warning from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said.

The fire is burning on the western side of Brand Highway, with fierce winds prompting the closure of the highway between Indian Ocean Drive and Eneabba-Three Springs Road.

Crews are actively fighting the fire, which is now contained and controlled, as Brand Highway was reopened just before 4.30pm.

Temperatures have tipped past 40C in Arrowsmith East — about an hour and a half’s drive south of Geraldton — as fire crews use heavy machinery to create firebreaks to stop further spread of the blaze.

The south-westerly winds threaten to fan the flames further, with a 48km/h gust recorded in Arrowsmith at 3.37pm.

Motorists are asked to reduce speed and drive carefully due to smoke in the vicinity.

Visit Emergency WA, call 13 DFES or listen to your local ABC radio bulletin for the latest updates.