Hundreds of firefighters battle Western Australia wildfire

A view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge shrouded in smog from nearby bushfires in Sydney, Australia, December 19, 2023. REUTERS

Hundreds of firefighters on Sunday battled an out-of-control bushfire near Western Australia's capital Perth, prompting authorities to urge residents in the fire's path to flee.

More than 25 bushfires were burning on Sunday in the vast state, with residents in the rural shires of Gingin and nearby Chittering, about 60 kms (37 miles) north of Perth, at risk from the fast-moving blaze, according to fire authorities.

A high-risk bushfire season is underway in Australia due to an El Nino weather event, associated with events such as cyclones, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires.

A state Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said 240 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was at emergency level, the highest threat rating.

"If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place," the agency said on its website.

The blaze, which has burnt through 417 hectares (1,030 acres) of bushland, broke out on Saturday.

The nation's weather forecaster on Sunday issued a warning for "extreme fire danger" in some parts of Western Australia state amid a heatwave alert in place since Saturday.

In Perth, a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) was forecast, more than three degrees above the city's average January maximum, according to data from the weather forecaster.

Australia's last two fire seasons have been quiet compared with the devastating 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of bushfires that razed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.