The impact of the Wanneroo bush fire has been felt in nearby Joondalup, forcing the postponement of a highly-anticipated motoring festival.
The 2024 Joondalup Motoring Festival was set to start on Friday evening, with thousands expected to watch high-powered cars in the Joondalup city centre until Sunday.
But festival organisers announced via social media on Thursday the event would be postponed in light of the nearby bushfire in Wanneroo and scorching temperatures forecast.
“The organisers of the Tyrepower Joondalup Festival of Motoring, with support from the City of Joondalup, have made the difficult decision to postpone this weekend’s event due to the northern suburbs bushfire and forecast extreme weather conditions,” the statement said.
“Our thoughts are with the residents in the emergency zone and with the emergency workers who are concentrating their efforts to where it is most needed.
“We thank our officials, participants, competitors, vendors and sponsors for their understanding and support and we look forward to announcing a date for the rescheduled event in the new year.”
The postponement means the much-anticipated 2.2km race course through Joondalup’s city centre with 120 track-ready cars is on hold until a new date is confirmed.
The Wanneroo bushfire is about 5km east of the event location, with the wind pushing much of the smoke across Joondalup and surrounding areas.
The alert level for the fire was upgraded to emergency by DFES at 3.45pm on Wednesday and 10 homes have been lost.
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At a press conference on Thursday, Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti confirmed the devastation caused by the fire.
Updates can be found on the Joondalup Festival of Motoring website at jfom.com.au.