Investigators have confirmed the Parkerville bushfire that destroyed more than 50 homes was started by a fallen power pole on private property.
EnergySafety inspectors have been looking into the cause of the fire, which swept through the Perth Hills region on Sunday and Monday.
And as residents begin to return to their destroyed and damaged homes, the cause was confirmed as the pole on a property in Granite Road.
Ken Bowron of EnergySafety said the initial investigation had revealed a short circuit sparked in the catastrophic fire conditions.
"The insulation on the consumer wiring leaving the main switchboard that was attached to the pole was damaged as the pole fell," Mr Bowron said.
"This caused a short circuit in the wiring, and the resulting sparks and hot metal ignited the fire."
The power pole itself will be inspected by a timber expert tomorrow.
"It did not look to be in a very good condition," Mr Bowron revealed.
EnergySafety has taken possession of the consumer's main switchboard, relevant sections of wiring and the pole.
"These items will be examined in more detail this week, and our investigations are continuing, including consideration of how the pole failed and the suitability of hard wood poles for consumers' private power lines," Mr Bowron said.
"It is timely to remind everyone that it is the property owner's responsibility to maintain all electrical equipment they own which is beyond the network operator's point of supply. This includes power poles.
Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Wayne Gregson has already said it could be time to review the responsibilities placed on homeowners to maintain poles on their land.
"It does seem to me that if you've got a recurring causal factor for bushfires then it's time to have a discussion on those issues," he told reporters.
Mr Gregson said the department would give "frank advice" to the government when it reviewed the incident.
"There are some questions around power poles," he said.
"Who's authorised to do that inspection, what sort of responsibility or obligation ought there be on others to ensure that work is done?"
The property the pole fell on belonged to 82-year-old Noreen Campbell, whose family said the pole had been replaced many years ago - but looked fine just weeks ago.
"There was certainly nothing obviously wrong with it," said Ms Campbell's son, Stuart.
He said the family were likely to take legal advice but did not think his mother had done anything wrong.
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