Central Highlands residents evacuated as fire rages
More than 40 Central Highlands residents have been evacuated from their homes as an out-of-control blaze jumps containment lines.
Tasmania
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FIREFIGHTERS on Monday night were trying to stop a raging bushfire that had broken containment lines and was threatening the Central Highlands community of Miena.
The out-of-control blaze jumped the Ouse River early Monday afternoon and made a beeline towards the town.
An emergency warning alert was issued Monday afternoon urging residents to evacuate if their home was unprepared. The alert was downgraded to watch and act at 9.30pm later that night.
Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Chris Arnol said up to 40 people had already been evacuated.
Those in the surrounding area received a text message about 2.30pm telling them to leave towards Poatina or Bothwell.
An evacuation centre was set up at the Bothwell Town Hall and a staging area was in place at Miena Community Hall.
Almost 100 firefighters were on Monday night preparing and burning off “touch points” where the fire might first impact the town, while aircraft water bombed the front to try and stop it from spreading.
SEE OUR GALLERY OF THE FIRES HERE
Tasmania Fire Service regional chief officer Jeff Harper said the river was a trigger point for the emergency warning.
“This morning [Monday] it was only within about 100m or so of the Ouse River, this afternoon it took a run and it’s now breached the Ouse River,” he said.
“Our trigger point to issue emergency warnings and evacuation alerts for Miena has been triggered.”
He said the fire was about 2km from homes by the afternoon.
“We’ve got all of our air resources, we’ve even brought the large airtanker back from the South-West to give us a hand,” Mr Harper said.
“If [fire] patterns run like before when we’ve got that level of air support, we’re able to hold them until we can get more strategies in place.
“That’s what we’re attempting to do.”
The fire has burnt through more than 6500ha so far.
“Watch and act” alerts were also in place for the nearby communities of Shannon, Liawenee and Barren Tier.
The blaze took a run about 1.30pm Monday with flames engulfing trees and smoke billowing over the Central Highlands region.
Fire chiefs were also concerned about the northern edge of the blaze which was burning out-of-control towards Liawenee and through fire sensitive ecology.
Mr Harper said the fixed-wing airtanker and waterbombing helicopters had been crucial in tackling the Great Pine Tier fire.
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“Without our air capability that we’ve been able to apply to this fire for the last week, this fire would have run into Miena and it would be a long, long way through the state,” he said.
“Those aircraft were the only thing that has held this fire to where it is, without them we had no opportunity and no options.”
The fire, which started a week ago, has left a trail of destruction around Little Pine Lagoon and swept across the Marlborough Highway.
Firefighters burnt 800ha of containment lines on Sunday night which held the fire until conditions worsened yesterday afternoon.
People in the immediate area should listen to ABC Local Radio or visit the TFS website.
jack.paynter@news.com.au
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