SYDNEY, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Firefighters were battling two major bushfires near Perth in Western Australia on Friday as residents in the areas were told to leave their homes, local media reported.
Authorities said they were close to bringing an emergency level bushfire in Keysbrook, in Perth's south, under control, but still held concerns for another fire burning in Gidgegannup, about 40 km northeast of the city, according to the Australian ABC News broadcaster.
The fire in Keysbrook, which broke out Friday morning and rapidly escalated to emergency level, saw a significant firefighting effort sustained from the air and ground, the ABC News said.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), the leading hazard management agency in the state of Western Australia, said the blaze was still out of control, but crews were close to "getting on top of it."
Meanwhile, the fire in Gidgegannup remained at emergency level. It's the seventh and latest critical bushfire to have broken out in Western Australia in two days as hot and windy conditions continue, the ABC News reported.
The fires followed bushfires in Manjimup, Eaton, Toodyay, Lancelin and Parkerville, according to local newspaper The West Australian.
Western Australia's premier Roger Cook confirmed that three homes were destroyed in the Parkerville blaze, which started after a "hollow" tree fell on a powerline on Thursday, the newspaper said. ■
