Wooroloo bushfire devastation leaves residents like Jessica Blackwell with nothing but memories
MonMonday 8
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Jessica Blackwell s Gidgegannup home was one of 86 properties destroyed in the blaze.
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After days of panic, worry and uncertainty, Jessica Blackwell returned to her home north-east of Perth only to find its charred remains.
Key points:
Jessica Blackwell s home was one of 86 properties destroyed by the blaze
Property owners are still coming to terms with their losses
There was still a sense of shock and disbelief in her voice as she described the first moments of seeing the devastation caused after a massive fire tore through bushland and semi-rural properties in the Perth Hills.
Tropical System Could Ease Bushfire Danger in Bone-Dry Western Australia
Written by AZoCleantechFeb 8 2021
Bushfires have forced some Australians to flee COVID-19 lockdowns in the Perth area in what s being called an unprecedented situation. A tropical system off the coast could ease fire concerns but may trigger other problems.
In this photo provided by Department of Fire and Emergency Services, a firefighter attends to a fire near Wooroloo, northeast of Perth, Australia, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. An out-of-control wildfire burning northeast of the Australian west coast city of Perth has destroyed dozens of homes and was threatening more. Image Credit: Evan Collis/DFES via AP
The city and parts of Western Australia were already under a strict five-day lockdown after a security guard at a hotel used as a quarantine facility in Perth tested positive for coronavirus Monday. This may seem like overkill for just one case, but these types of aggressive measures have kept Australia’s total deaths during the pandemic to less than 1,000.
The quarantine in Australia’s fourth-largest city was scheduled to lift Friday, but officials told residents that evacuation orders and personal safety during the fire overrode any pandemic lockdown orders from the government. The U.S. dealt with a similar situation this past year (minus the lockdown stuff) as wildfires tore across the West, forcing widespread evacuations even as the pandemic raged. Australia’s pandemic is, thankfully, more under control, but the evacuations risk upsetting the delicate balance the country has achieved.
Authorities say at least 59 homes have been destroyed with that number expected to grow as firefighters continue to battle an out-of-control blaze east of Perth.