The Shire of York will not be burdened with out of pocket expenses, tanks to disaster assistance being made available following a bush fire that damaged major infrastructure.
The fire in St Ronans on January, 10 burnt through more than 600 hectares of land.
Funding to the Shire is provided through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Linda Reynolds said the funding will help cover essential public asset restoration costs within the Shire of York.
“Through the joint funding arrangements, the affected council can now access financial support to restore or replace any damaged public assets, such as roads and bridges,” Assistant Minister Reynolds said.
WA Minister for Emergency Services Francis Logan said the Commonwealth and Western Australian Government are working together to ensure local governments are receiving the assistance they need to recover.
“6 Mile Brook Bridge on the Great Southern Highway was damaged beyond repair, impacting the community, primary producers and tourism,” Minister Logan said.
“Bushfires such as this can have a significant cost to local councils.
“This assistance will make sure that the Shire of York is not financially disadvantaged as a consequence of this fire.”
No homes were damaged in the bush fire that started near Great Southern Highway, according to York Volunteer Fire & Rescue.