A life-threatening bushfire is burning near suburban homes in Perth, with residents warned to leave and multiple roads already closed.

An emergency warning has been issued in parts of Kenwick, Wattle Grove, Maddington and Beckenham in Perth’s south-east.

“You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive,” the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in an alert on Thursday.

“There is a threat to lives and homes.”

Homes in Bickley Road and Boundary Road are under threat from the fire.

“If it is safe to do so, leave in an southerly direction towards Albany Highway.”

The Department of Communities set up an evacuation centre at Maddington community centre.

A Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) spokesman said some “outside structures” may have been lost. The department confirmed firefighters had set up a barrier around East Kenwick primary school, with a pickup point for parents.

ABC reported that Rehoboth Christian College was evacuated, with the fire burning in the adjacent Kenwick wetlands. TV footage from the scene shows several homes in a semi-rural area near the blaze, which is partly burning in a wetlands nature reserve.

People in the warning area have been told to leave in a southerly direction if it is safe to do so.

The bushfire was moving in an easterly direction on Thursday afternoon while multiple roads were closed.

A second emergency warning has been issued for another blaze in Perth’s north-east for people in Bullsbrook and Upper Swan. The bushfire is burning near Walyunga national park and is not contained or controlled.

Residents in the area have been told to leave the area if the way is clear.

Perth’s temperature reached 30C by midday on Thursday, with warnings of high fire danger for the metro centre.