Australia’s West Coast Faces Bushfire Emergency Again

December 27th, 2021

Awake Goy

Months after bushfires destroyed houses in the regions around Perth Western Australia, residents in the Perth Hills are again facing the threat of losing their homes and potentially their lives as two destructive bushfires rage across the region as searing temperatures continue to affect Western Australia.

Firefighters in the Perth hills are currently battling to save homes in Warrigal Estate in the early hours of Monday after any residents who had not yet evacuated the area were told it was now too late to leave.

“Leaving now would be deadly,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said as it issued an emergency warning.

The warning covers people and homes in the area bounded by Government Road, Old Northam Road, Lilydale Road and Needham Road in parts of Wooroloo, Chidlow and Gidgegannup.

People outside the Warrigal Estate should leave if it is safe to do so, emergency services said on Monday, and an evacuation centre has been open at Mundaring Arena on Mundaring Weir Road in Mundaring.

At present, there are 250 firefighters actively managing the blaze, which was reported at 3.41 p.m. on Boxing Day and had burnt 164.5 hectares by 5 a.m. Monday.

An emergency warning was also in place for a fierce bushfire threatening homes in the Augusta-Margaret River Shire, about 300 kilometres south of Perth.

People were urged to leave Treeton and Osmington if the way was clear or to shelter in their homes if they cannot leave.

The warning was increased from the watch-and-act level on Sunday afternoon due to weather conditions and the fire growing on heavy fuel loads.

There is an evacuation centre at the Margaret River Recreation Centre.

The warnings come as the state endures a spell of hot weather, with Perth recording maximum temperatures of 42C (107F)and 43C (109F) on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The bushfires also come 10 months after the state experienced dangerous bushfires in February 2021, which left up to 71 homes destroyed in the Upper Swan area of the state.