Bushfire season is fast approaching in Western Australia and hotter summer temperatures and climate change are intensifying fires burning across the state. 

DFES has identified more than 90 per cent of WA as bushfire prone, placing the safety of West Australians at risk. 

Data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology confirms that WA overall, on average, has warmed by over 1°C since 1910 and that temperatures are rising over summer, with 2023–24 and 2024-–25 being the two hottest summers recorded in WA. 

The two most recent summers went 1.89°C and 1.93°C above the long-term average and rainfall is declining, indicating a warming climate which, DFES acknowledges, may lead to increased bushfire risk. 

Curtin University fire researcher Philip Zylstra weighed in on the impact that forest structure has on WA’s bushfires in a rising climate, saying “annual rainfall is decreasing but this does not automatically translate to worse fire seasons.” 

He explained that DBCA records show that fires are larger in years with faster turnover of high pressure systems and added that the way these systems interact with forest structure means that the best way to avoid having backburn is by catching fires small.

Dr Zylstra said: “Smarter strategies involve two things, stop burning long unburnt forests, and protect remote areas to let them naturally thin and invest heavily in resources for rapid suppression of new ignitions.” 

Protecting remote areas to let them naturally thin refers to allowing natural fire processes to occur without ending every fire, while still protecting these areas from severe fires.

Research from the American Meteorological Society reported a long term-trend that Australia has become more prone to fires as years go on, with analysis showing bushfires are rising in frequency while starting earlier, driven by climate change. 

However, climate change is not the sole cause of bushfire risk. 

Curtin University restoration ecologist and former foundation director of science at Kings Park, Kingsley Dixon, is unsure whether bushfire seasons throughout WA are becoming ‘longer and more intense’.

Professor Dixon said WA is taking action to reduce bushfire threat by performing prescribed burning practices to clear land. 

“We are the place that invented industrial scale prescribed burning that is based not on fuel loads any more – just time since the last fire – hence the government and departmental rhetoric is about protecting the very large $50 million plus per annum burning budget.

“If indeed the fire issue is greater, then we need to move to rapid detection and immediate suppression strategies.”

Despite these expert warnings, fire services in WA are still heavily reliant on fire practices, such as prescribed burning and traditional firefighting techniques using ground crews. 

For more information on bushfire safety in WA click here.