Australian fire guts 41 homes

A WILDFIRE that tore across the outskirts of an Australian city destroyed at least 41 homes and damaged another 19.

One firefighter was injured and several people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were close to stopping the spread of that wildfire yesterday and another that broke out over the weekend in the same area of Western Australia state.

The two blazes have razed 4,000 acres of forested land to the north and south east of Perth since Saturday, fire and emergency services authority spokesman Alan Gale said.

In Roleystone and the nearby community of Kelmscott, at least 41 houses were destroyed and another 19 damaged, despite the efforts of 200 firefighters.

The fires come as huge areas of Queensland and southern Victoria state recover from a cyclone and severe flooding.