Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Bushfire destroys more homes in Western Australia

Updated at 10:06 pm on 7 February 2011

A bushfire raging out of control on the outskirts of Perth in Western Australia has destroyed more homes, as winds continue to hinder fire fighters' efforts on Monday.

Fifty-nine homes have now been razed in the bush-fringed suburbs of Kelmscott and Roleystone, while 28 others have been damaged.

The Western Australian government has declared the devastated area a natural disaster zone and will provide financial assistance to affected families, the ABC reports.

Hundreds of residents crammed into a gymnasium at Armadale south east of the city to hear whether they had lost their homes.

A list of three burnt-out residential sectors was read out by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority.

Residents in those areas were asked to move to other rooms in the complex so they could be briefed more privately on whether their houses had been destroyed, damaged or spared.

Street names and numbers were read out with a report on the damage - in some cases, property damage was stated as 100 per cent or a lesser percentage, or just a shed or garage gone.

The fire has also left more than 1500 homes in affected areas without electricity as a number of power poles and power lines are down.

One fire fighter has been injured and is in a stable condition in hospital.

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