THE BEAT: Advice issued as bushfire crawls towards central Tasmanian town
A bushfire has been travelling east through central Tasmania, with the state fire service issuing advice for nearby residents. SEE DETAILS >>
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Advice issued as bushfire crawls towards central town
Monday, March 7
A bushfire has been making its way east towards River Clyde, with the Tasmania Fire Service issuing advice for Hollow Tree residents.
A bushfire message was issued for the town just east of Ouse in the Central Highlands on Monday evening.
The TFS said there was no immediate threat, but there was an advice-level bushfire in the area with conditions expected to be changeable.
Firefighters were in attendance.
TFS reminded locals to check their bushfire plans and monitor conditions.
It comes as several bushfires have emerged about the state this summer, including one at Olegas Bluff in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, which was first reported on February 15 and has since been downgraded to “under control”.
The fire has burned through some 316ha on Aboriginal Land Council Tasmania land within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Latest updates fire.tas.gov.au
One hell of a swell hits Tassie amid wild NSW weather system
Saturday, March 5
A low off the NSW coast responsible for flooding thousands of homes has created mega swells in Tasmania, with mariners warned to avoid the turbulent area.
Tasmania Police said a large swell was breaking across Marion Bay Narrows on the state’s East Coast on Saturday.
“Unless people are experienced, it is not safe for mariners to attempt to cross it,” Tasmania Police said.
“Conditions are expected to remain for today and throughout tomorrow and are not expected to abate until late tomorrow evening.”
The swell is averaging about 3m in the east, with maximum swells reaching 6.2m just northeast of Maria Island.
Bureau of Meteorology Tasmania duty meteorologist Anna Forrest said the uncharacteristic waves were driven by the low pressure system on the New South Wales coast which had been causing massive floods in the jurisdiction.
Ms Forrest said the north and northeast recorded higher swells earlier this week, with the surge making its way to the lower part of the East Coast on Saturday.
“It’s probably peaking around about now and should start to ease over the next couple of days,” she said on Saturday afternoon.
Ms Forrest said much larger swells were often recorded on the West Coast thanks to “howling westerlies” blowing across the globe over the ocean, but the latest totals in the east were unusual.
“It’s a lot more difficult to get that sustained wind over water to generate swell in the right place to get it on our East Coast,” she said.
BOM Tasmania has issued a severe weather warning for northeastern Tasmania on Saturday night into the late morning on Sunday.
A Severe Weather Warning has been issued for northeastern Tasmania for overnight through to late Sunday morning. Southeasterly winds following the cold front late tonight will sweep across the state with the strongest winds in the central north and northeast in excess of 80kmh. pic.twitter.com/TVcwCcEI07
— Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) March 4, 2022
“South-easterly winds following the cold front late tonight will sweep across the state with the strongest winds in the central north and northeast in excess of 80km/h,” a BOM Tasmania tweet reads.
Latest weather information bom.gov.au/tas/
Man arrested during alleged burglary
Saturday, March 5
A Trevallyn man will appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Saturday evening after allegedly breaking into a house and being arrested inside the home.
Tasmania Police said a member of the public informed them about 8.30am Saturday that a house in Osborne Ave, Trevallyn was allegedly being broken into.
Authorities went to the site where they allegedly found a man there and arrested him.
Police said the 38-year-old had allegedly played a role in the burglary of a white Toyota HiAce van in Bain Terrace, also in Trevallyn.
“Tasmania Police request any members of the public who observed a man wearing black track trousers and a grey hooded jacket in the Trevallyn area to contact police,” Tasmania Police said.
Call Launceston Police on 131 444 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestopperstas.com.au
Five car pileup in Hobart
Saturday, March 5
Five motorists have been involved in a crash on a busy Hobart highway.
Tasmania Police and emergency services are responding to the incident on the Tasman Hwy near Government House.
The crash occurred near the Tasman Bridge some time before 2.30pm on Saturday.
People heading to the Eastern Shore or travelling on the Tasman Hwy are told to expect delays while the scene is cleared.
Police have reported no serious injuries.
Missing walker rescue on Overland Track
Saturday, March 5
A woman has been rescued after becoming lost while hiking the Overland Track on Friday night.
A rescue helicopter was called to the popular route in the Cradle Mountain range after the hiker set off her Personal Locator Beacon near the Bert Nichols Hut around 10pm, however, due to unfavourable conditions it was unable to land.
A search and rescue ground team accompanied by a paramedic were instead called to the scene.
Marine officers transported the group across Lake St Clair and after hours of walking through the night the crew found the woman uninjured and in good condition around 900 metres from the track at 7am.
In a separate incident Tasmania Police were alerted to concerns for a walking party on the South Coast Track near Surprise Bay around 10pm the same evening.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to respond to the emergency alert but was again unable to land due to weather conditions.
The chopper returned in the morning only to find that the distress message had been accidentally activated.
Ambulance Tasmania vehicle fleet unregistered
Friday, March 4
The Department of Health has confirmed an entire fleet of Ambulance Tasmania vehicles had been unregistered from 11:59pm on March 2 due to an administrative error.
The registration process was completed 16 hours after the vehicles had become unregistered once authorities had become aware of the problem.
The issue has been resolved, with State Health Commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks saying a
review of the error had been launched.
“We are investigating how this administrative error occurred to ensure we can introduce measures that prevent this from happening in the future,” she said.
None of the Ambulance Tasmania vehicles were involved in any incidents during the unregistered period.
This wasn’t the first time the organisation had forgotten to pay its rego.
The entire state ambulance fleet of 133 vehicles went unregistered for six days in 2017.
In that period, the unregistered vehicles copped 14 speeding fines.
That incident was also put down to an “administrative error”.
Neil Kirby, who was Ambulance Tasmania chief executive at the time, had said “we have implemented improved procedures to ensure this situation does not happen again.”
Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) Tasmania secretary Tim Jacobson said although the latest bungle was as “disastrous” as last time, the error was indicative of a broader problem.
Mr Jacobson said Ambulance Tasmania was “under so much stress” from a lack of resourcing that the mistake was easily made.
“We need a review of the resources currently provided to Ambulance Tasmania in terms of frontline resources, but also a review of processes that sit in the background that support the operation of Ambulance Tasmania,” he said.
Gagebrook arson
Friday, March 4
A police investigation has been launched following a house fire in Gagebrook that authorities believe was deliberately lit.
Emergency crews were called to the Vila Crescent home around 3:30am on Friday morning to find the home fully alight.
One person who was inside the property managed to escape without any injury.
Tasmania Police suspect the act of arson was a targeted attack.
Residents in the area are being urged to review any CCTV and come forward with any information on the incident.
Any witnesses are being asked to contact Bridgewater Police on 131 444 or provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Alleged arsonist arrested, Bridgewater
Thursday, March 3
A suspected arsonist has been arrested and charged after a house in Bridgewater was set ablaze on Wednesday afternoon.
At around 7pm police and emergency services arrived at the unit on 12/2A Douglas Drive, which was already fully engulfed in flames.
Police allege the man did not go quietly, and he was charged with resisting arrest, assaulting police, and arson.
He appeared in front of Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Shocked neighbours describe smoke pouring out from the unit, which sits right next to several other units.
Rosette and Rodel Altejos, who live just across the road with their 6-day-old son, said the emergency crews arrived on the scene almost immediately after they noticed the fire.
“I just saw the smoke coming out of the top of the roof, I couldn’t see any fire,” Mrs Altejos said.
“After a few minutes the fire trucks came.”
Investigators in hazmat gear are trawled through the
A Tasmania Police spokesman said the fire was being treated as an act of arson.
“A 46-year-old man, suspected of being responsible for the incident was located immediately upon Police arrival and was taken into custody,” the spokesman said.
“Early assessments of the structure made by Tas Fire Services indicate the unit fire was deliberate and estimate the value of damage caused to total between $150,000 to $200,000.”
Douglas Drive happens to be the same street where 28-year-old Tye Paul Silver was shot dead in his unit in January this year.
It is also walking distance from the house where “Covidiot” Tim Gunn sheltered after escaping hotel quarantine late last year.
Police ask anyone with information related to Wednesday's fire to contact them on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.
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