SYDNEY: On Sunday, hundreds of firefighters battled an out-of-control blaze near Perth, Western Australia’s capital, prompting authorities to warn residents in the fire’s path to escape.
According to fire officials, more than 25 bushfires were burning throughout the huge state on Sunday, with inhabitants in the rural shires of Gingin and neighboring Chittering, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Perth, at risk from the fast-moving inferno.
A high-risk bushfire season is begun in Australia as a result of an El Nino meteorological event, which is connected with cyclones, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires.
A representative for the state Department of Fire and Emergency Services said 240 firefighters were battling the incident, which was classified as an emergency, the highest threat level.
On its website, the organization advised people to “leave now for a safer place if the way is clear.”The fire started on Saturday and has now burned over 1,030 acres (417 hectares) of bushland.
With a heatwave alert in effect since Saturday, the country’s weather forecaster on Sunday issued a warning for “extreme fire danger” in select areas of Western Australia state.
According to weather forecaster data, Perth was expected to have a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), which is more than three degrees higher than the city’s typical maximum for January.
Compared to the deadly 2019–2020 “Black Summer” of bushfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and claimed 33 lives, Australia’s last two fire seasons have been relatively calm.
