Catastrophic fire alert issued

ANGELA POWNALLThe West Australian A catastrophic fire danger rating is in force for the Goldfields and Eucla today ahead of hot, dry and windy weather. The Bureau of Meteorology has also

issued an extreme fire danger rating for the centre of WA and a severe fire danger for parts of the Gascoyne. Forecaster James Ashley said today's weather conditions would make any bush

fire difficult to control. "It's really hot and going to be 40 degrees, really dry and lots of wind," he said. The new ratings, which came in last month after the Victorian

bushfires, set out the likelihood of a bushfire to get out of control if one did start. The catastrophic fire danger rating for Goldfields and Eucla covers Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie, Esperance,

Dundas, Laverton, Leonora, Menzies, Sandstone and Wiluna and means that if a fire starts, it will be unpredictable, difficult to control and move very fast. It also warns that flames will

be higher than roof tops, spot fires may start 20km ahead of the main fire and even well prepared, well constructed and actively defended homes are highly unlikely to be safe. Don Fazio,

from Fire & Emergency Services Authority, said firefighters were on alert in areas where catastrophic and extreme fire danger ratings were in force. "People need to be vigilant and

careful as always" he said. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails