A wildfire burning out of control on the outskirts of the Australian west coast city of Perth on Thursday destroyed at least two homes and injured two people, officials said.
An emergency warning was issued for the eastern suburb of Parkerville where the fire started on Thursday morning. The alert warned that the fire posed a threat to lives and homes.
At least two homes had been “completely lost”, Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Darren Klemm said.
The full extent of the damage would not be known until inspection crews were able to survey the fire zone.
Two men in their 60s were taken to hospital after being injured by the fire in separate incidents, media reported. One had minor burns and the other an injured foot. The ambulance service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fire authorities reported that the fire had been contained but remained out of control after razing 90 hectares (220 acres).
One of the destroyed homes belonged to Mark Norton who lives near where the fire started and had little time to escape.
“The fire was on both sides, really, really hot,” Mr Norton told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “It was an awful experience.
“The fire was still the height of the trees when I left. How they (firefighters) managed to contain that in such a short period of time in 39-degree (102C) heat with this wind — they’re amazing, they really are.”
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook described a “troubling situation” where Perth’s urban fringe meets heavily wooded hills.
“We all have grave concerns for the fire and in Parkerville and our hearts go out to all those people who are involved in that incident,” Mr Cook told reporters.
Mr Klemm said the blaze had continued to escalate despite the efforts of firefighters and water bombing aircraft.
“We know that Parkerville is an area where we’ve had significant fires before, including loss of homes so the concern level is very high,” he said.
Power has been cut to more than 150 properties and several roads had been cut.
Parkerville resident Yvonne Blyth said her car was packed with her children’s Christmas gifts in case the family had to evacuate their home, which is in a forest. The fire had come close but appeared to be moving away from her home of 18 years, she said.
“We’ve seen three or four fires now, but this was the closest one,” Ms Blyth told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“We all love living in the forest, but this is the scariest part of living around here. It’s absolutely terrifying,” she added.
