Evacuations ordered as 1 home destroyed by West Australian bushfire

SYDNEY, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Residents of the coastal Australian city of Geraldton in the state of Western Australia (WA) were on Monday morning told to evacuate due to the danger posed by a life-threatening bushfire.

The WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) issued a warning on Monday morning local time advising residents of suburbs around 5 km north of central Geraldton to leave the area in a southerly direction immediately.

Speaking at a press conference, DFES Superintendent Mark Bowen said that one home has been destroyed by the fire that started in northern Geraldton on Sunday amid extreme heat.

He said that 60 firefighters had been deployed from the WA capital of Perth, 375 km south of Geraldton, to support local crews in very challenging conditions.

Maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius were recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) at Geraldton Airport on Sunday and Monday.

Bowen said that forecast wind gusts of up to 80 km per hour on Monday afternoon could lead to further fires igniting.

He said that residents in areas of Geraldton not affected on Monday morning should be prepared in case the fire spreads. Enditem