Children detained at Western Australia's notorious Banksia Hill Detention Centre lit a fire and climbed on to the roof and fences at the facility on New Year's Eve.

Specialist police were deployed to escort Fire and Emergency Services crews into Banksia Hill and the fire fighters put out the blaze.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said detainees threatened staff.

There have been a series of disturbances, including riots, at Banksia Hill over the years.

Management of the facility has been criticised by experts including current and former WA Children's Court presidents and Inspectors of Custodial Services.

In November leaked CCTV footage from within Banksia Hill showing the brutal treatment of detainees caused a national sensation.

Earlier this month the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA went to the Supreme Court seeking judicial review of the ongoing use of lockdowns in the centre.

Also in December, the superintendent of Banksia Hill was moved on from the position in a decision he said was "not a choice I made".

In August the Supreme Court found locking a Banksia Hill detainee, a 14-year-old boy, in his cell for more than 20 hours a day on 26 occasions across four months, was unlawful.

Earlier that same month, questions in parliament from MP Brad Pettitt revealed a shocking rate of self-harm and suicide attempts in Banksia Hill and in Unit 18 at Casuarina, where a number of young people from Bankisa were moved in July.

Three weeks ago, a class action involving hundreds of former and current Banksia Hill detainees was commenced in federal court.

A review commissioned by the West Australian government 18 months ago recommended it overhaul the facility, and shift from "punitive control" to "therapeutic care" – an approach long advocated by independent experts.

The state government said the review - by Nous Group - was an "internal document" that would not be made public.

More to come.