DFES confirms cause of Broomehill bushfire was accidental amid reports of bicycle tyres sparking blaze

Authorities have confirmed a blaze that destroyed 220ha of land in Broomehill last week was accidental amid reports the fire was sparked by bicycles dragging along the road. Emergency services responded to a report of a bushfire in the Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup about noon on December 3, issuing an emergency alert an hour later advising people to flee the area. By 6pm, 160 farmers and fire unit volunteers had contained the fire and people were told to return with caution. With hot weekend weather threatening to reignite the smouldering fireground, 38 volunteers patrolled the area until Sunday. The 220-hectare blaze caused $80,000 in crop losses, and damaged 12km of fencing and a shearing shed. It also saw eight people and their pets shifted to an evacuation centre set up at Katanning Leisure and Function Centre. A spokesperson for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the cause of the fire was accidental, and it was possibly sparked by bicycles attached to the back of a caravan that were dragging along the road. Firefighters were sustained by generous food and water donations from 124 Tambellup Store, Katanning Dome Cafe and Katanning Woolworths, with shire of Broomehill-Tambellup chief executive Karen Callaghan thanking the community for its response. “It was a fantastic community effort, and the shire appreciated everyone involved,” she said. “Without them, the fire would still be going.”