Firefighters battle bushfires in Australia's Perth in rare spring heatwave

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Firefighters were tackling bushfires that destroyed homes in the city of Perth amid a rare spring heatwave in Western Australia, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday.

Ten homes have already been destroyed, residents evacuated and several firefighters injured tackling the blaze in the city's northern suburbs, Western Australia deputy premier Rita Saffioti told a news conference.