Teenage inmates at Perth's Banksia Hill youth detention centre have rioted and a building has been burnt to the ground on New Year's Eve.

Special Operations Group officers were tasked with ensuring the facility was safe before police and firefighters were able to enter on Saturday evening.

Around a dozen detainees could be seen on top of a perimeter fence as flames and smoke billowed from one of the buildings.

In a statement, the Department of Justice said a command centre had been set up to manage the situation.

"A number of detainees have ascended roof tops and fences and have been threatening staff," the spokesman said.

"There is no threat to the broader community."

Western Australia's only youth detention centre has been the subject of harsh criticism this past year, with concerns over staffing levels.

Teenagers have been moved to Casuarina adult maximum security prison, after damaging their cells.

Amongst an extensive list of condemnations, the President of Children's Court Hylton Quail previously described sending the children to the adult maximum facility as "barbaric" and "a form of torture".

The WA government has repeatedly defended the move, saying it was due to an "escalation of extreme behaviour" in teenage inmates, sharing pictures of damaged holding cells.

Over the past few months, concerns around the length of time the teenagers are being held in their cells have been scrutinised by the courts.

A recent hearing in the Supreme Court has seen the government admit ongoing issues with staffing, infrastructure, and detainee behaviour had led to children being held in cells for an illegal amount of time.