Australian bushfires add to disaster misery
8th February 2011
Bushfires near Perth in Western Australia have destroyed over 60 homes
Bushfires on the outskirts of Perth have destroyed at least 64 homes and razed 1,600 hectares.
Travellers are warned to follow local authorities' instructions and keep up-to-date with the situation with local media reports. Those in the affected areas should move to safer ground.
Dozens of properties have been damaged despite the best efforts of more than 350 firefighters using water-bombing helicopters and lorries.
The main fire, in the south-eastern suburbs of Roleystone and Kelmscott, started when sparks from a power tool accidentally ignited grass in a back garden. The second fire, in northern Swan Valley, was caused by a tree branch being blown on to an electricity station.
There have been no reports of serious injuries or fatalities.
The Western Australian government has declared the area a natural disaster zone. The fires come exactly two years after 173 people died in bushfires that swept through the southern state of Victoria.
Huge areas of the east coast are still recovering from Cyclone Yasi that struck Queensland last week, and from flooding in Queensland and Victoria.
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