Road south from Norseman reopens as Goldfields residents wake to smoky morning

9.30AM UPDATE The Eyre Highway and passage south from Norseman to Esperance have reopened this morning after been closed yesterday due to fire.

The blaze is moving in a north easterly direction and the highway between Coolgardie and Norseman remains closed.

Hyden-Norseman Road between Marvel Loch-Forrestania Road and the Norseman townsite is also still closed.

More than 40 firefighters and SES personnel are at the scene.

MONDAY 6AM UPDATE Goldfields residents from Salmon Gums to Kalgoorlie have woken to the strong smell of smoke this morning due to several fires burning overnight.

A watch and act remains in place for the Higginsville Gold Mine near Norseman, and the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway remains closed.

Drivers are being allowed to leave Norseman south towards Salmon Gums, and the highway between Salmon Guns and Esperance has reopened.

Eyre Highway has also reopened.

The fire has burned through 148,000 hectares since it was first reported on December 16.

An advice remains in place for the Norseman townsite.

Fires burning around Burra Rocks in the Shire of Coolgardie which caused a significant amount of smoke over Kambalda and Kalgoorlie last night remain at advice level this morning.

Combined, they have burned through about 3000ha and have led to the closure of several roads in the area.

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SUNDAY7.30PM UPDATE Patients have been relocated from Norseman Hospital as a precautionary measure due to fire threatening a nearby gold mine.

WA Country Health Service took to social media about 6pm Sunday to inform the community patients were being evacuated due to the fires burning near town.

“During this time the community is advised that the hospital emergency department is still operating as normal,” WACHS said on Facebook.

The Norseman townsite remains at advice level. There is no threat to lives or homes, but there is a lot of smoke in the area. Nearby Higginsville Mine is on watch and act.

The whole highway between Coolgardie/Kalgoorlie and Esperance has now been closed, as has the Eyre Highway

A second fire causing visible smoke over Kambalda and Kalgoorlie at Burra Rocks has also been upgraded to an advice level.

It is out of control, unpredictable and moving fast in a north-easterly direction.

Roads in the area have been closed and firefighters are monitoring the situation.

• EMERGENCY: STIRLING RANGES FIRE

6PM UPDATE The Eyre Highway has been closed again because of fire, cutting off road access between WA and South Australia.

The highway was closed between Norseman and Caiguna at 5.30pm Sunday evening due to fires burning near Norseman.

A watch and act remains in place for the Higginsville Gold Mine near Norseman after fire which has been burning since December 16 broke containment lines.

Strong wind gusts are hampering efforts to contain the blaze.

A second fire near Burra Rocks in the Shire of Coolgardie has also caused a large plume of smoke this evening. The smoke is being carried east by the wind and can be seen from Kalgoorlie and Kambalda.

1PM SUNDAY A gold mine near Norseman has been put on alert after a nearby fire broke containment lines today.

A watch and act has been issued for the Higginsville mine site and the highway closed between Norseman and Coolgardie while firefighters battle to get back on top of a fire which has been burning for nearly two weeks.

The fires near Norseman caused havoc on the roads in the lead up to Christmas, with traffic between Kalgoorlie and Esperance stopped for two days.

Trucks were also left waiting after the Eyre Highway between WA and South Australia was closed.

More than 40 emergency services personnel are on the scene battling the blaze which has burned through 148,000 hectares since December 16.

A bushfire advice remains in place for Norseman. There is no threat to lives or homes, but there is a lot of smoke in the area.

The temperature in Norseman peaked at 41.5 degrees after 1pm today, with westerly wind gusts reaching 50kmh.

The fire is moving slowly in a easterly direction.