Bushfire hazards and safety

The City’s Rangers team can help you secure a Permit to Burn, if you need one.  

To apply, you’ll need to provide the following information:  

• Name of the person conducting the burn 
• Location, lot number and/or street address of the property to which the permit will apply  
• What firefighting equipment and resources you have and whether it is in good working order 
• Your safety plan
• The expected size of the burn  
• Details of the fire breaks installation and access options for an emergency fire unit  
• Which materials you propose to burn. 

Rangers will assess your application and let you know if your application is successful.  

Permits won’t be issued for burning green waste.

To apply for your permit and for more information, call Ranger Services on 9186 8555. 

To protect your property and your community, your firebreaks must be maintained and kept fuel-free all year.  

As an owner or occupier of land within the City of Karratha, you must comply with the Bush Fires Act 1954, (the Act) section 33, and carry out annual fire prevention work.  

As well as installing and maintaining firebreaks, you must keep your property free of fire hazards and maintain the land in condition for the entire year. 

If you don’t comply with the Act, you may be issued with an infringement notice which carries a modified penalty of $250 and a maximum penalty of $25,000.  

The Act also allows the City to carry out required works at the expense of the landowner or occupier, regardless of whether they are prosecuted or issued with an infringement notice.   

Your responsibilities under the Act are:  

Rural and Town-site Land (includes residential, commercial and industrial):  

a) Where the area of land is 2024m2 (approximately half an acre) or less, remove all flammable material on the land except living standing trees from the whole land.  

b) Where the area of land exceeds 2024m2, provide fire breaks at least three metres wide, immediately inside all external boundaries of the land and immediately surrounding all buildings and haystacks situated on the land. Where several adjoining lots are held or used by the owner/occupier, the firebreaks may be provided inside and along the external boundaries of the group or lot. 

Special Rural Land
The owners of all small rural holdings, zoned as Special Rural under Town Planning Schemes, must maintain clear of all flammable materials a fire break at least three metres wide, immediately inside all external boundaries of the land. 

Fuel and/or Gas Depots

In respect of land owned and/or occupied by you on which is situated any container normally used to contain liquid or gas fuel, including the land on which any ramp or supports are constructed, you shall have the land clear of all flammable material. 

Our unique natural environment needs special protection, so fire restrictions are in effect in the City of Karratha throughout the year. Permits are needed for all open-air fires.  

When the fire danger forecast is Very High, Severe, Extreme or Catastrophic, it’s prohibited to light any open-air fires in the City of Karratha – including for camping, cooking or using gas cooking appliances in the open. 

Visit the Bureau of Meteorology to find the current fire level warning, and check the West Pilbara Coast category. 

Visit DFES for information on preparing for bushfire emergencies.  

For all other firebreak enquiries, please contact the City of Karratha on 9186 8555. 

Not following the rules and guidelines around bushfire safety can have serious consequences for lives and communities, so penalties are in place.  

Major offences will result in court action with penalties ranging from $500 to $25,000 or imprisonment for twenty years, or both.