Residents on an Armadale street were left shaken earlier in December after a tree beneath a power line caught fire, triggering loud explosions, visible flames and a power outage.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said the incident occurred on Mogo Street on the evening of Sunday, November 30.
“DFES received multiple triple zero calls reporting a power pole top fire,” a spokesperson said.
“The power pole fire spread to the top of a nearby tree. Four firefighting appliances attended.
“The fire was extinguished by 8pm.”
Armadale resident Becky Anne said she and her partner were at home when they heard loud banging noises shortly after putting their baby to bed.
“At first I thought it might be kids with firecrackers,” she said.
“When we went outside, we realised it was the power pole across the road. It was banging and exploding, and the tree went up in flames pretty quickly.”
Becky said she immediately called triple zero and Western Power as the situation escalated.
She said neighbours also rushed outside, with some attempting to respond before emergency crews arrived.
“One man came around in his ute and used a little fire extinguisher and got most of the tree under control. I think it would have been a lot worse if he hadn’t done that,” Becky said.
She said power to the area was cut from about 7pm and was not restored until late afternoon the following day.
Becky said the incident raised concerns about the lack of tree maintenance near power poles.
“I believe some residents have asked the council to come and cut trees but they say they’re fine,” she said.
The City of Armadale said it had an annual verge tree pruning program, including routine pruning along Mogo Street, with the trees last pruned in April 2025.
The city said it received a request from Western Power on November 1 to prune four trees on Mogo Street within 90 days and works were scheduled for January.
The spokesperson said Western Power pruned one of the trees on December 1.
“The city continues to work closely with Western Power to manage vegetation near power infrastructure,” the spokesperson said.
