SYDNEY: Hundreds of firefighters on Sunday battled an out-of-control fire near Western Australia’s capital Perth, prompting emergency workers to ask residents in the fire’s path to leave.
Over 25 bushfires were burning on Sunday (today) in the vast state, with locals in the rural shires of Gingin and nearby Chittering, around 60 kms north of Perth, at risk from blaze, authorities said.
A high-risk fire season is underway in the region due to an El Nino weather event, linked with events such as droughts, cyclones, heatwaves as well as wildfires.
Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson stated that around 240 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was at emergency level, the highest threat rating in the region. In a statement, the department said that people should leave for a safer place if the way is clear.
Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Wildfire in Western Australia
The country’s weather forecaster on Sunday released a warning for “extreme fire danger” in some areas of Western Australia state amid a heatwave alert in place since January 13.
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In Perth, a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius was predicted, over three degrees above the city’s average January maximum, weather forecaster stated.
Australia’s last two blaze seasons have been quiet compared with the devastating 2019-20 “Black Summer” of fires that razed an area the size of Turkey and killed around 33 people.
