Piara Waters bushfire: Oil rig firefighters praised for springing to action as Arson Squad combs scene

Arson Squad investigators are combing the scene of a blaze that ravaged a park and threatened to destroy nearby homes in Perth’s eastern suburbs on Saturday. Blocked off with red and white tape emblazoned with the word “DANGER”, arson detectives joined firefighters at the Piara Waters scene after a fire broke out about 3.50pm Saturday afternoon. A playground was reduced to melted plastic after it was engulfed by flames at Piara Waters Park in the City of Armadale. Residents were quickly instructed to evacuate as the Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued an emergency alert. But it was offshore oil rig firefighters Anthony Mohr and Brian Macdonald who were first on the scene, becoming neighbourhood heroes after they joined residents in trying to keep the flames at bay as the blaze threatened the surrounding homes. Mr Mohr was picking up some beers from his local bottle-o with workmate Mr McDonald when they saw thick smoke pooling behind nearby houses. The duo quickly sprung into action. “The smoke was that bad and thick black it was serious. We thought someone’s house must be on fire, so we went to help out,” Mr Mohr said. “We were pretty much the first people here, we got here before the firefighters.” The workmates got hold of a nearby garden hose and started battling the blaze. “It was really hot. We’ve burned the hairs off our arms and there was a lot of smoke,” Mr Mohr said. “The fires we deal with are normally contained on a small oil rig in the middle of the ocean. This a lot scarier than that.” But the workmates did not leave empty handed, they were thanked by locals for their efforts and handed cans of Victoria Bitter in a show of gratitude. The pair now have plans to join the Armadale bushfire brigade as volunteers. Piara Waters resident Chantal Quinn watched with her daughters as the fire tore through the park — across the road from their home — in just minutes. Ms Quinn said she only noticed the fire in her rear-view mirror when she was about to reverse out of her driveway on Saturday afternoon. “It was crazy out there, honestly, the heat and the sounds were just insane and it was so quick,” she said. “The wind was so fast and you could literally almost see it travelling.” She said the intensity of the fire was the scariest thing she had ever seen in her life, but that she was grateful for the firefighters throughout the stressful afternoon. “They are just amazing, they do such a good job,” she said. Another Piara Waters resident Bobby Jalajamma said he immediately grabbed his kids and fled. “It (the fire) was like a bomb had gone off, the flames were reaching so high into the sky,” he said. Inquiries into the fire remain ongoing.