PERTH (HRNW) – A wildfire on the fringes of Australia’s fourth-largest city Perth has destroyed several homes and forced emergency evacuations, authorities said Tuesday, just days after the west coast city entered a coronavirus lockdown.
Firefighters are battling the out-of-control bushfire on the city’s eastern fringes, where several properties are ablaze and several fields have been blackened.
Smoke from the fires sent ash falling in the Perth city centre, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) away.
Firefighters were said to be working in “extremely volatile” conditions with temperatures set to hit 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit).
“The fire is currently 7,000 hectares in size with the perimetre of around 75 kilometres (47 miles),” Department of Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters told media.
Strong winds overnight forced significant numbers of residents to flee with hundreds expected at evacuation centres, Waters said.
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