Power Outage Hits Perth’s Northern Suburbs Due to Weather Conditions

Thousands of households in Perth‘s northern suburbs are facing power outages following adverse weather conditions that have led to fires on multiple power poles. The areas most severely impacted include Stirling, Wanneroo, and Joondalup, with approximately 28,000 homes and businesses left without electricity.

According to a spokesperson from Western Power, the unusual pole top fires were triggered by light drizzling rain, which, coupled with dust and pollution build-up, created paths on insulators allowing electricity to arc across, eventually leading to smoldering and fires on the poles.

As a result of the fires, traffic lights in various suburbs, including Malaga, Westminster, Balga, Balcatta, Karrinyup, and Hamersley, have also been affected, posing additional challenges for motorists.

Several neighborhoods, such as Yanchep, Two Rocks, Woodridge, Duncraig, Greenwood, Kingsley, and Padbury, are experiencing significant power cut-offs, disrupting daily routines for thousands of residents. Similarly, areas encompassing Wanneroo, Tapping, Pinjar, and Mariginiup have also been hit by the outage.

Main Roads has issued a caution to drivers approaching intersections without functioning traffic lights, advising them to proceed with care, reduce speed, and yield to the right to ensure safety on the roads.

Western Power has assured the public that crews are working diligently to address the hazards and replace damaged poles, with each replacement process taking between four to eight hours based on complexity. The utility company has also emphasized the importance of safety protocols, urging individuals to stay at least eight meters away from any fallen power lines and immediately report the situation to the emergency line.

Efforts to mitigate the risk of pole top fires and enhance the network’s resilience are ongoing, with Western Power highlighting the challenges posed by climate change on weather patterns and infrastructure management.