Forest fire claims houses in western Australia

A forest fire near Australia's west coast city of Perth might have razed more than 20 houses Sunday, residents fleeing the blaze said. According to dpa, more than 100 firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft are tackling the fire at Parkerville, 35 kilometers west of Perth. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed houses had been lost, but spokesman Russell Jones told the national broadcaster ABC that it was too early to say how many. "The fire is still out of control and uncontained," he was quoted as saying. One fleeing resident identified only as Peter told the ABC that he and his family were leaving while they still could. "There are embers coming down like an ash," he said. "We're getting the hell out of here. We're taking the animals, some clothes and the tax files in a box, and we're leaving everything else." The fire broke out after two consecutive days of temperatures above 40 degrees.