News - National
Wildfires destroy homes in Australia
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 7:17 AM by Associated Press
Hundreds of people in western Australia have fled ahead of a wildfire that has destroyed nearly 40 homes.
At least three people were injured as two major blazes burned out of control after breaking out Tuesday in a wheat and sheep farming district north of the coastal city of Perth. The two fires scorched a combined total of more than 33,000 acres of forest and farmland before cooler conditions on Wednesday helped hundreds of firefighters contain them.
Western Australia state Premier Colin Barnett declared a natural disaster - freeing up emergency funds for survivors - and praised authorities who battled the blazes.
Wildfires are common across Australian during the summer months, but they rarely claim so many homes.
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