Large Wildfire Occurs in Perth Area, Western Australia... 71 Houses Completely Burned Down

Strong Winds Prevent Fire Control... Power Outage in Over 2,700 Homes
Residents Unable to Evacuate Due to COVID-19 Lockdown, Causing Confusion

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A large wildfire near Perth in Western Australia is rapidly spreading with strong winds, destroying dozens of houses and causing extensive damage. The Perth area is currently under COVID-19 lockdown measures, making it difficult for residents to evacuate easily, leading to increased confusion.

According to foreign media such as the BBC, on the 3rd, a large wildfire in the Perth area of Western Australia destroyed 71 houses and caused power outages in over 2,700 buildings. The wildfire started near the Wooroloo area, located 45 km northeast of Perth, and is spreading while burning 7,300 hectares (ha) of forest between Wooroloo and Perth. Western Power, an Australian electricity company, stated that the wildfire damaged the transmission network, cutting off power supply to buildings in the area.

Australian fire authorities have deployed 500 firefighters, 250 fire trucks, and disaster prevention aircraft to the fire site to carry out firefighting operations. However, since it is summer in Perth, Australia, temperatures exceed 38 degrees Celsius, accompanied by strong winds over 70 km/h, making it difficult to control the fire.

Residents in the affected area have been ordered to urgently evacuate to a shelter set up in Swan View, 20 km from Perth. However, due to ongoing COVID-19 lockdown measures this week, residents are finding it difficult to evacuate easily, causing confusion. Darren Klemm, head of the Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services, emphasized in a statement, "The important thing is to preserve life, and even during isolation, evacuation must be carried out if necessary," urging residents to "wear masks and move to shelters to self-isolate."

Previously, Australia suffered significant damage from a mega wildfire that occurred from September 2019 to February last year in the southeastern region, destroying more than 18.6 million hectares of forest, an area comparable to the entire Korean Peninsula. With the wildfire spreading amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation, concerns are rising that there will be major gaps in the Australian government's quarantine efforts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.