The number of homes destroyed by bushfires near Perth has risen above 70 as strong winds and difficult terrain threaten to cause further property damage.

“We know that 71 homes have been lost. That number is expected to rise,” Premier Mark McGowan said today. “There is a threat to lives and homes. This is an extremely dangerous fire.”

Residents in the Shady Hills estate and the east Bullsbrook area were told to evacuate today amid concerns that wind gusts up to 70kph could drive flames up slopes and towards properties.

“We are only going to see the winds strengthen over the course of the day which will make it extremely difficult,” Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Commissioner Darren Klemm said.

The Wooroloo fire has burnt 9464 hectares north-east of the city since it was reported around noon Perth time on Monday. The cause is still unknown but police say no criminality has been determined.

Mr Klemm says the property loss estimate by damage assessment teams from the area already burned by the fire may rise marginally, while weather conditions are likely to remain challenging into the weekend.

Additional aerial support has been provided by the Federal Government to control the blaze, which is being battled by more than 200 firefighters. About 230 people slept in three evacuation centres last night.

The Insurance Council of Australia says it is deploying a disaster response specialist to Perth this evening to meet with state and local government agencies over coming days to assist impacted communities and property owners.

This week’s fire follows a relatively dry January for Perth, with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting the inner northern suburb of Mt Lawley recorded just 0.2mm of rain for the month, the driest since 2014.

The Climate Council says conditions in WA reflect a long-term drying trend, with winter rainfall declining 20% since the 1970s.

“Last year was the second-warmest year on record for WA, and in the past few months the southwest has received very little rainfall compared to the rest of the country,” spokesman Professor Lesley Hughes said.