Public Health Services urge Huon residents to escape increasing smoke
UPDATE: 2:30pm: Improved weather conditions have allowed the downgrading of fire warnings in the Huon Valley, the Tasmania Fire Service says.
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UPDATE: 2:30pm: Improved weather conditions have allowed the downgrading of fire warnings in the Huon Valley, the Tasmania Fire Service says.
Light rain fell across parts of the valley this morning, although not enough to douse a large bushfire burning in the area.
In a statement, the TFS warned that warning levels could change.
“For areas to the south of Geeveston, two alerts have been downgraded due to an easing of the fire risk,” it said.
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“North of Geeveston the existing emergency warnings remain in place. This is due to the proximity of those communities to the fire, localised erratic fire behaviour or the fact that wind continues to push the fire in their direction.”
Emergency warnings for Franklin, Waterloo, Surges Bay, Brooks Bay, Glendevie and Police Point have been downgraded to watch and act.
“Note, the fire is approximately two kilometres from Glendevie and the Huon Hwy, therefore a small change in weather conditions including wind direction may change the alert level and compromise the Glendevie community and the Huon Highway.”
The warning for Dover has been downgraded from advice level to watch and act and Huonville remains at advice level.
Geeveston, Castle Forbes Bay, Glen Huon, Lonnavale and Judbury all remain subject to emergency warnings.
UPDATED 11.30am: Rain has started falling on Geeveston this morning.
Exhausted firefighters have welcomed the slight relief as they brace for a wind change that could possibly blow the southern flank of the massive Huon Valley bushfire back towards the town.
Fire crews are preparing for a busy day where they will try to put in a number of containment lines to stop the blaze.
Geeveston is down to its last 10 to 12 hours of mains water and fire chiefs have told crews to refill trucks from water tankers or dams.
Taskforce leader George Auchterlonie said at this morning’a briefing that they would attempt to bulldoze a containment line from Kermandie River Rd and Rileys Creek Rd and back burn up the hill to try and stop the blaze creeping towards town.
Divisional commander Michael Goldsmith warned firefighters the weather would come in fairly quick when it does hit.
He said they would try to get aircraft to undertake some water bombing around Glendevie while the smoke was clearer.
New Zealand remote area crews put in a lot of work clearing trees Doodys Hill Rd near the phone tower yesterday.
UPDATED 9am: THE Kingborough Sports Centre is being made available as a refuge for people living in the Cygnet area who need respite from the smoky conditions.
Director of Public Health Mark Veitch has issued urgent public health advice for the Cygnet area this morning.
Dr Veitch strongly advises anyone in the Cygnet and surrounding areas who is vulnerable to smoke to leave the area to minimise their exposure.
People will be able to stay at the Kingston refuge overnight if needed.
Anyone planning to stay overnight should bring bedding, including a camp stretcher or mattress where possible.
Dr Veitch said people should also bring their medications, phone and device chargers, spare clothes, toiletries and any other items they require for their own care.
A bus will be provided from 14 Mary St between 10am and 2pm today to take people who
are unable to access their own transport.
The Kingborough Sports Centre is located in Kingston View Drive.
Anyone requiring further information should contact 6211 8200.
In a statement this morning, the Tasmania Fire Service said crews continued to patrol and protect properties at the Riveaux Rd fire in the Huon Valley overnight, There was some increased fire activity in the Kermandie area.
An emergency warning was issued for the Lonnavale area, including Denison Road, Woolleys Road and Lonnavale Road, due to an increase in fire activity on that edge of the fire.
In the south Central Highlands, Great Pine Tier fire activity remained quiet overnight, with patrol crews extinguishing hotspots.
Some rain was reported on firegrounds overnight but had little impact on the fires.
Southwesterly winds are forecast to remain for much of today with speeds of 30-35 km per hour.
The TFS said crews focus efforts on protecting property and suppression around Lonnavale, Judbury, Glen Huon, and Franklin in the south and Penstock Lagoon, Shannon Tier, Miena, and Liawenee in the Central Plateau.
Tasmania Police is encouraging residents who have left their homes and are unable to return due to the Rixeaux Rd fire in the Huon Valley to register this information using the Red Cross Register. Find. Reunite service.
Registering will enable services to follow up people affected, if required, once the threat has passed.
6.30am: A THICK blanket of smoke hangs over Hobart and 13 bushfire emergency warnings remain in place in the Huon Valley and Central Plateau this morning as crews to continue to battle blazes across the state.
There are 10 emergency warnings in the Huon Valley and three in the Central Plateau region, along with nine watch and act alerts and 14 advice alerts around Tasmania.
For more information, visit the Tasmania Fire Service website or listen to ABC local radio.
EARLIER:
ARSONISTS who disrupted firefighting efforts have been slammed by police, as hundreds continue to leave their homes due to the threat of 28 fires burning across the state.
Twelve emergency fire warnings were last night in place across Tasmania. A blaze which started near Riveaux Rd on January 16, and has so far burnt out 37,000ha in the state’s South-West, continues to put a number of properties in the Huon Valley, at risk.
About 150 residents took shelter inside the evacuation centre in Huonville last night while another 350 camped outside.
Police Commander Tony Cerritelli yesterday confirmed Tasmania Police were investigating two deliberately lit fires at Blessington and Mathinna in the state’s North, while a separate suspicious fire was also being investigated at Murdunna, in the state’s South.
In other developments yesterday;
TASWATER urged Huon Valley residents were urged to watch their water use, as water mains for firefighters could run dry;
WEATHER bureau forecasters say a cold front passing over the state will bring cooler conditions today, but could also whip up troublesome winds. There is a chance of light showers, but not enough rain to subdue the fires.
PREMIER Will Hodgman announced a second round of $1000 grants per household for bushfire-affected residents;
THE Arthur Highway between Dunalley and Eaglehawk Neck was closed to all traffic for at least two hours yesterday afternoon, as crews battled a blaze believed to be deliberately lit.
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TFS District Officer Andrew McGuinness said a number fire crews, including aircraft, were late yesterday working to contain the 50ha fire, about 2km east of the Arthur Highway at Murdunna.
Mr Cerritelli said police were also pursuing a number of suspects in relation to the Northern fires, an act of arson he described as “pretty low”.
“While we are working together with other emergency services personnel to keep the public safe, it is disappointing police resources have to be diverted to other incidents as a result of unlawful and irresponsible actions,” he said.
“It shows they [arsonists] don’t care and it adds another layer of disappointment at a time when we’re down.”
Tasman Peninsula business owner John Hamilton, of Tasmania Devil Unzoo, said it was frustrating to hear of suspected arson in a region rocked by nearby Dunalley fires in 2013.
“Not only is it putting people and property at risk, but also the habitat for vulnerable devils and other wildlife,” he said.
Premier Will Hodgman deplored the act of arson yesterday, while announcing a second round of Recovery and Restoration Grants for residents affected by the bushfires.
He said the grants of $1000 a household were about meeting the longer term needs of people who have lost their homes or incurred property damage as a result of the bushfires.
TasWater issued a warning yesterday for Huon Valley residents to be mindful of their water use, as water mains for firefighters face “quite a possibility” of running dry.
“At the moment, with our plant running at full capacity, we are diverting more water to the Geeveston area which has used a considerable amount of water,” TasWater incident controller Mark McConnon said.
“With these bushfires, residents need to reassess what they’re using their water for and we ask residents to only use water as required and avoid non-essential usage such as washing cars.”
The Bureau of Meteorology yesterday advised of a cold front passing over the state last night which would bring cooler conditions, but could also whip up winds for fire crews.
“The south westerly wind change will see a slightly different regime to what we’ve seen over the last week and a half,” a weather bureau spokesman said.
“After that, there’s a high pressure system approaching.
“A feature of Friday will be a lowering inversion, meaning there will be a lot of fires burning and smoke trapped under that inversion, which will continue to be a problem as the wind fluctuates in direction.
“Friday might be a particularly bad day — there’ll be a lot of smoke trapped, given the winds will be quite light which will make it hard to flush the fire and smoke out.”
To register for assistance grants, please phone the Tasmanian Emergency Information Service on 1800 567 567. These grants will be available for three months after impact.
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