❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the Lake Muir fire in December 2023, inquiring about the ignition, cause, actions taken, extent of damage, and impact on the Ramsar Wetland status. The answer details the fire's origin, suppression efforts, and damage extent, concluding no change to the wetland's status is expected.
AnsweredQoN 1966Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Lake Muir fire in December 2023, and I ask: (a) when did the Myalgelup Lagoon fire, adjacent to
Lake Muir, first ignite; (b) what was the cause of the ignition, and how was it detected; (c) what actions were taken by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to extinguish this fire, or to minimize its impact; (d) what was the cause of the reignition of this fire (denoted Lake Muir fire on Emergency WA) on 24 December 2023; (e) what actions were taken by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to extinguish the reignition, or to minimize its impact; (f) what is the extent (area in hectares) of burnt and damaged peatlands and wetlands due to this fire; and (g) will the impact of this fire and loss of biodiversity in this area affect the status of the Muir-Byenup System as one of 67 named Ramsar Wetlands in Australia?
Lake Muir, first ignite; (b) what was the cause of the ignition, and how was it detected; (c) what actions were taken by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to extinguish this fire, or to minimize its impact; (d) what was the cause of the reignition of this fire (denoted Lake Muir fire on Emergency WA) on 24 December 2023; (e) what actions were taken by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to extinguish the reignition, or to minimize its impact; (f) what is the extent (area in hectares) of burnt and damaged peatlands and wetlands due to this fire; and (g) will the impact of this fire and loss of biodiversity in this area affect the status of the Muir-Byenup System as one of 67 named Ramsar Wetlands in Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
7 May 2024
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Environment
Response time
6 days
a. The fire (Donnelly Fire 8) was first ignited on 2 December 2024.
b. The fire was caused by a lightning strike and was detected by a nearby landowner.
c. Fixed wing water bombers, ground crews and firefighting machinery were despatched to suppress the fire through a combination of direct and indirect attack methods.
d. Smouldering organic soils within the fire boundary reignited causing a flare up of several unburnt paperbark trees which sent embers over the fire boundary which became Donnelly Fire 13.
e. Fixed wing water bombers, helitacs, ground crews and firefighting machinery were despatched to suppress the fire, again using a combination of direct and indirect attack methods. Mechanical trenching within the wetlands was also undertaken to minimise spread of burning organic soils.
f. The total extent of the area burnt by Donnelly fires 8 and 13 is 1960 hectares. Approximately 630 hectares of this area is wetland that contains organic soils including peat.
g. I am advised by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions that it does not consider that there will be any change to the status of the Muir Byenup System as a Ramsar Wetland.
b. The fire was caused by a lightning strike and was detected by a nearby landowner.
c. Fixed wing water bombers, ground crews and firefighting machinery were despatched to suppress the fire through a combination of direct and indirect attack methods.
d. Smouldering organic soils within the fire boundary reignited causing a flare up of several unburnt paperbark trees which sent embers over the fire boundary which became Donnelly Fire 13.
e. Fixed wing water bombers, helitacs, ground crews and firefighting machinery were despatched to suppress the fire, again using a combination of direct and indirect attack methods. Mechanical trenching within the wetlands was also undertaken to minimise spread of burning organic soils.
f. The total extent of the area burnt by Donnelly fires 8 and 13 is 1960 hectares. Approximately 630 hectares of this area is wetland that contains organic soils including peat.
g. I am advised by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions that it does not consider that there will be any change to the status of the Muir Byenup System as a Ramsar Wetland.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.