Bushfires in the Australian city of Perth have destroyed more than 55 homes.
The first bushfire was sparked by someone using a mechanical grinder in the Roleystone area, a Perth suburb, at around midday on Sunday. The fire quickly swept across the region.
A second bushfire was ignited when a tree branch blown down by strong winds hit electricity infrastructure.
Firefighters were unable to save the homes from the flames, which have also destroyed more than 4,000 acres of forest.
Many residents tried to put out the fire with hoses, but authorities eventually told them to leave their properties.
Several people have been treated for smoke inhalation and one firefighter has been injured.
Many people spent the night at temporary evacuation centres, some of which were very distressed because they didn’t know if there homes were still standing.
One centre manager, Anne Leishmann, told Sky News: “”Some people are very distressed because we’ve heard that there are 30 to 50 houses lost.
“They can’t get any real info about whether it’s their house or not – so they’re very concerned and distressed.”
Western Australia has had its second driest winter on record.
Two years ago, the Black Saturday fires claimed 173 lives and destroyed 2,000 homes in the state of Victoria.
