Firefighters who risked their lives trying to save homes in the Perth Hills firestorm are frustrated some West Australian homeowners are not doing enough to prevent bushfires spreading.
More than 50 homes were destroyed in the communities of Parkerville, Stoneville and Mt Helena on Sunday, when an unstoppable bushfire was sparked in catastrophic conditions.
As the fire was brought under control, and residents were allowed back into the fire zone to assess damage, WA Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson agreed with firefighters who told him some householders were simply not doing enough to prevent the bushfire threat.
"I don't think they are doing enough, and we have still have people having wonderful houses with the tree line right up to the house," Mr Gregson told ABC radio.
"I have spoken to some of the volunteers who are still amazed that householders are leaving things to the last minute, who do not have plan, who not know what to do.
"This is not just about the weekend - (the message is) you are leaving it too late, you are not reducing the risk, and the consequences are likely to be severe."
More than 1.5 million litres of water was dropped on the firestorm by water-bombing helicopters in the hours after it began, but 52 homes were still destroyed.
Investigators believe the fire was sparked by a fallen power pole on private property, which in WA remain the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain.
Thousands of private power poles are spread across the state, and have already been blamed for sparking a bushfire last January which threatened houses in Chidlow.
Mr Gregson suggested the time had come to review the responsibilities on homeowners to maintain poles on their land.
"(The cause) would appear to be a power pole on private property, and they are the responsibility of the landowner," he said.
"That begs a whole range of questions. How do they know about the potential damage? How do they get that ticked off as sound? How often do they do that? Who oversees that?
"And is it fair and reasonable to expect an owner to be responsible for that type of infrastructure?"
Hills resident Matthew Leverington, 21, who thinks his Stoneville house survived, says private power poles should be inspected.
"It should be inspected and said 'no this is not up to standards and you need to sort this out or we'll cut power out from the line or you'll be fined'," Mr Leverington said.
"There needs to be some sort of consequence because this can't go on."
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