WA: Coolgardie battles new blaze

AAP General News (Australia)
01-16-2001
WA: Coolgardie battles new blaze

PERTH, Jan 16 AAP - Firefighters in the West Australian Goldfields were struggling
to gain control of a huge blaze which forced emergency services to close traffic twice
on the Great Eastern Highway today.

The 100km-long fire 45km west of Coolgardie has damaged five power poles and threatened
powerlines, a water pumping station and the major east-west highway since Sunday.

Chief executive officer of Coolgardie shire Jim Fraser said the highway had to be closed
twice on Sunday in the Goldfields township, 557km east of Perth.

"Thousands of people would have …