Western Australia Grabbles with Bushfires

(MENAFN) Western Australia confronted a dangerous convergence of crises Monday when numerous bushfires escalated to emergency status while the state's critical alert infrastructure collapsed.

At least five blazes simultaneously reached emergency classification, directly endangering residents and structures across multiple regions, an Australian broadcasting agency confirmed. The catastrophe intensified when the state's emergency notification platform went dark during the peak threat period.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) acknowledged the system failure stemmed from data processing complications that temporarily disabled the emergency website. Authorities have since restored functionality following the technical breakdown.

Approximately 250 firefighting personnel deployed across the Midwest region, concentrating efforts near Warradarge and Mogumber. Additional alert zones encompassed Boonanarring, Cullalla, and sections of Chittering and Bindoon, forcing authorities to establish emergency shelters in Gingin and Mandurah.

The threat matrix expanded dramatically by 8 pm (1200GMT), with nine separate fires elevating to "watch and act" status—triggering evacuation protocols and readiness advisories throughout affected communities.

Lightning strikes ignited the Nambeelup and Chittering fires, DFES Assistant Commissioner Paul Carr confirmed.

The Warradarge inferno consumed more than 7,000 hectares, forcing closure of Brand Highway segments. Officials later reduced threat levels for Brigadoon and Gidgegannup areas.

A Chittering fire, believed to be deliberately lit, has been downgraded to an advice level as firefighters worked to contain it, according to DFES incident controller Murray McBride.

The fire emergency compounds an ongoing power crisis affecting up to 115,000 properties following severe storms that commenced Saturday.

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