Bushfire threatens locked-down Australian city

A bushfire raging outside the Western Australian city of Perth has forced residents to evacuate, as the city remains in a coronavirus lockdown.

At least 59 homes have been destroyed by the blaze, which has been fanned by strong winds. Reports said six firefighters have had minor injuries.

People have been told to flee to safety even if it means breaking lockdown.

But as more than 200 firefighters battled the blaze, some residents were warned that it was too late to leave.

People living in areas where it was deemed too dangerous to evacuate were told to “shelter in a room away from the fire front and make sure you can easily escape.”

Others in affected areas were urged to flee for safety as soon as possible.

“Whether you are in lockdown or have been personally directed to quarantine for Covid-19, you must do whatever you need to do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said.

Mark McGowan, Western Australian (WA) Premier earlier said the state was facing an “extremely concerning and serious” situation.

“Right now WA is battling two different kinds of emergencies – a dangerous fire emergency and a Covid-19 lockdown emergency,” he said.

He urged the majority of the state capital’s residents not in harm’s way of the fire to remain in their homes to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

By global standards, it is a very low risk as the city has reported just one local case. But the city of two million people entered a snap five-day lockdown on Sunday after that case – the first local infection in Western Australia in 10 months was found.

Fire situation

The fire near the town of Wooroloo was first reported at midday on Monday. It has grown into a fast moving, erratic blaze which overnight raced through the hills and valleys fringing the city’s north-west.

Perth residents woke up on Tuesday to a blanket of smoke across the city. People reported ash falling from the sky in locations 50km (31 miles) away from the fire-front.

Reports said people living in the north-west semi-rural suburbs including Ellenbrook, Averley and Brigadoon – that they were in “immediate danger” and needed to evacuate or enact their bushfire survival plans.

Those in areas further afield have been told “the best option is to leave early and to leave now”.

Perth is enduring 35C (95F) temperatures and has experienced a run of hot days as well as extended dry conditions.

Craig Waters, Western Australia deputy fire commissioner said historically the area had not seen such large fires but “in the last few years, we have seen increased fire behaviour with rapid escalation overnight”.

“The changing climate… and moisture deficit in the soil is impacting how the fire behaves,” he said.

He said backup had been requested from the fire services of eastern Australian states where bushfires are traditionally more common.

Deputy commissioner Waters told those quarantining in fire-threatened zones to “use common sense” and “do whatever they need to do to look after their own safety and the safety of their loved ones”.

“If they have to go to an evacuation centre, that is fine too,” he said.

In Swan, an affected fire region, authorities said dozens of locals had evacuated to other people’s homes “rather than go into a large crowd” at an evacuation centre.

Australia has recorded nearly 29,000 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began. For a population of about 25 million it is far fewer than many other countries.

Olusola Akintonde/BBC