Highway to Esperance to be closed for several days due to fire

The highway between Kalgoorlie and Esperance will be closed until at least December 23 due to smoke from fires west of Norseman.

Goldfields-Esperance Police took to Facebook this afternoon to announce the route will remain closed between Kambalda and Norseman in the lead up to Christmas, throwing travel plans for Goldfields locals into disarray.

The Norseman to Salmon Gums closure will be reassessed tomorrow morning.

Shire of Dundas president Laurene Bonza said a roadblock was put in place at Balladonia to prevent overcrowding in Norseman.

“There were quite a lot of people from other places at the meeting want to gather a bit of information about how long they are going to be here and where they can go,” she said.

Firefighters have been battling the blaze since Monday night and are currently actively fighting the fire and strengthening containment lines.

An emergency warning has been issued for another bushfire heading towards the Israelite Bay campsite, near Esperance on Western Australia’s south coast.

The uncontrolled fire is moving quickly towards the campsite and threatening lives and homes.

Firefighters are on their way and people in the area should leave now if there is a clear path.