Western Australia Struggles Against Severe Bushfire Crisis
Several blazes across the state escalated to emergency status, posing serious risks to residents and infrastructure, a broadcaster revealed.
At the height of the crisis on Monday, five fires were classified at the emergency level when the state’s official emergency information website went offline briefly because of a data-handling malfunction, according to a statement from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).
Authorities explained that the outage stemmed from a technical fault, adding that the online platform has since been fully reinstated.
Approximately 250 firefighters were deployed to combat fires in the Midwest region, particularly near Warradarge and Mogumber, while additional alert notices were issued for Boonanarring, Cullalla, and areas within Chittering and Bindoon.
Emergency evacuation facilities were established in several locations, notably in Gingin and Mandurah, to support displaced residents.
By 8 pm (1200GMT), nine active fires had been downgraded to the "watch and act" category, urging communities to either evacuate or prepare for potential escalation.
According to DFES Assistant Commissioner Paul Carr, lightning strikes were the probable cause of the fires affecting Nambeelup and Chittering.
The blaze near Warradarge scorched more than 7,000 hectares, forcing closures along sections of Brand Highway, while a previous alert covering Brigadoon and Gidgegannup was later reduced in severity.
Meanwhile, a separate fire in Chittering, suspected to have been intentionally ignited, was lowered to an advice level as crews worked to bring it under control, DFES incident controller Murray McBride confirmed.
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