Australian authorities have called on thousands of people in a suburb of Perth to seek refuge. A wildfire is raging in the area.
The approximately 6,600 residents of Bullsbrook may ignore the lockdown that is currently in force in the area.
The fire in the large state of Western Australia has already destroyed an area of 9000 hectares. More than 70 houses went up in flames.
“We know how quickly things can go wrong,” stressed state Prime Minister Mark McGowan. “They expect powerful winds. That’s why we say if you can go, please do it immediately.”
The emergency comes at an unfortunate time. The approximately 2 million Perth inhabitants will be in lockdown until Friday and are in principle not allowed to leave their homes.
Crisis Management Minister David Littleproud said in the media that people should simply comply with a request from the emergency services to evacuate. “There should be no confusion about that.”
Authorities had instituted the lockdown after a man tested positive for the coronavirus’s extra contagious British variant. He works at a hotel where people are in quarantine. It was the first time in about ten months that a local corona infection had again been diagnosed in Western Australia.