PERTH, Australia (AP) – An out-of-control fire burning northeast of the city of Perth, on the Australian west coast, destroyed about 30 houses and threatened more on Tuesday, with many residents in the area saying it was too late to leave. .
The 7,000-hectare (17,000-acre) fire, which has a perimeter of 75 kilometers (47 miles), started on Monday and lasted all night near the town of Wooroloo, with Mundaring, Chittering, Northam and the counties. of Swan affected.
Swan Mayor Kevin Bailey said more than 30 houses were destroyed.
“We’re just waiting for the numbers to be confirmed, but we’re looking for something in the vicinity of more than 30 lost homes,” said Bailey.
Bailey said a fireman was treated for smoke inhalation. There were no other injuries.
Western Australia’s deputy commissioner for the Fire and Emergency Services Department, Craig Waters, said the fire had doubled in size overnight and burned 7,366 hectares (18,202 acres) of farms and woods.
“The strong winds are preventing us from entering and containing the fire and bringing it under control,” he said.
State Premier Mark McGowan said 80% of all properties near Gidgegannup, on Perth’s northeastern rural fringe, were lost.
Firefighters would investigate whether there was a loss of life, he said.
McGowan said a large aerial tanker was flying from the Australian east coast to help fight the fire.
“This is an extremely dangerous fire and a serious situation. Climatic conditions are extremely volatile, ”said McGowan.
“Do everything you can to keep yourself and your family safe and take care of each other,” he added.
People on a 25-kilometer (16-mile) stretch west of Wooroloo to Walyunga National Park, northeast of Perth, were told on Tuesday that it had become very dangerous to leave their homes.
“You must take shelter before the fire arrives, as the extreme heat will kill you well before the flames reach you,” said the last warning.
The roads of a semi-rural suburb The Vines, on the northern outskirts of Perth, were crowded with traffic, making some people choose to stay.
Melissa Stahl, 49, took a message telling her to evacuate.
“I could smell the fire and I went out the back and the whole yard was filled with smoke,” she said. “We took bedding, pictures, the two children and the dog and left,” he added.
A warning for other threatened areas told people to leave if they are not prepared to fight the fire. The forest fire is unpredictable and weather conditions are changing rapidly, the warning said, asking people to remain vigilant.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Superintendent of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Peter Sutton, said about 250 firefighters are battling erratic fire behavior.
“It made it very difficult, almost impossible … to suppress that fire,” said Sutton.
Forest fires are common during the current southern hemisphere summer. However, the season has been mild on Australia’s southeastern coast, which was devastated by major fires last summer.