A bushfire near Donnybrook destroyed one home and damaged three others, according to news reports published on 15 January 2023. The fire began after a reported lightning strike near Noggerup, then broke out again on Saturday afternoon as strong south-easterly winds pushed it toward Glen Mervyn and Yabberup. The figures below are a snapshot from that Sunday morning, not a current fire alert or a confirmed final incident assessment.
How the Donnybrook bushfire started and spread
Contemporary reports said the fire started on Tuesday after a lightning strike near the intersection of Lowden-Grimwade Road and Atom Road in Noggerup. It burned through a large area of Preston National Park.
On Saturday afternoon, the fire broke out beyond containment lines in strong south-easterly winds. DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm said the fire expanded by about 800 hectares in the north-west corner. The reports described flames moving toward Glen Mervyn and Yabberup, east of Donnybrook.
By Sunday morning, PerthNow and The West Australian reported that the fire had burned 5,895 hectares. That was the area reported at the time, not a verified final total.
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Homes damaged and injuries reported
The two news outlets reported one home destroyed and three others damaged. The West Australian said the destroyed home was understood to be in Glen Mervyn; that location was reported as the newspaper’s understanding, rather than confirmed in a direct statement from a named official.
Klemm told The West Australian: “there’s been one house lost yesterday afternoon, as well as three others damaged”. The reports also said a couple of community members sustained minor burns to their hands after choosing to stay and defend their properties. They did not provide names or further details about the injuries.
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What the Sunday morning update said about the response
The 15 January reports said the fire had been downgraded from emergency to watch and act. It was described as contained but not controlled, with firefighters still on the ground and aerial support on standby in case it flared up. The West Australian reported that around 200 firefighters had worked overnight and 113 remained at the fire on Sunday morning.
An evacuation centre had been set up at Donnybrook Recreation Centre, where a community meeting was planned for 1 pm. These were arrangements reported on that Sunday in 2023; they should not be treated as current emergency information.
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What is—and is not—established about the final outcome
The reported area, damage count and fire status are contemporaneous news figures. The sources cited in these reports do not establish a final official area, final damage assessment or final containment status. A later DFES feature confirms that volunteer brigade captain Glenys Malatesta fought the Donnybrook bushfire in January 2023, but it does not provide incident totals.
For the original Sunday reports, see PerthNow and The West Australian. The later DFES feature on volunteer captain Glenys Malatesta is available here.
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