Five watch and act alerts remain for Tasmanian bushfires
UPDATED 6.10pm: One house has been confirmed as destroyed in the Pelham Rd fire, with a community meeting to be held tonight for those affected by the blaze.
Tasmania
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UPDATED: A COMMUNITY meeting will be held this evening at Broadmarsh Community Hall at 7pm for residents or those directly affected by the Pelham Rd fire.
The Tasmania Fire Service confirmed that one home has been destroyed in the Pelham Road fire but impact assessments are still being undertaken and that number may increase.
People in the area are asked to remain vigilant as the bushfire remains at watch and act level. People who do not live in the area are advised to stay away. Road access is open to residents only, however access could be hindered by fallen trees, powerlines and other debris. Residents who wish to return do so at their own risk and must make an informed decision regarding their personal safety at their property. Tasmania Fire Service is working clear the roads and make the areas safe.
The fire is approximately 1600 hectares in size with an approximate 26km boundary.
At this stage, the fire has been successfully held at Clifton Vale Road East of Pelham and containment lines using heavy machinery are being constructed along Taylor’s Tier on the fire’s south-western boundary.
The fire crossed Elderslie Road between Pelham and Bluff roads however that outbreak has been contained.
Some uncontained spot fires remain on Summerfield Hill between Grahams Creek Road and Bluff Road and firefighters continue to work to extinguish these spot fires.
EARLIER: AN emergency warning has been issued for Tower Hill as an uncontrolled fire burns in the region.
The Tasmania Fire Service issued the alert at 5.16pm, saying the blaze would put Tower Hill, northwest of Fingal, at risk within two hours.
The TFS warns burning embers will threaten homes before the main fire and smoke and ash will make it difficult to see and breathe.
If your home is well prepared for very high risk fires and you can actively defend it, it should provide shelter.
If your home is unprepared go to a safer location now only if the path is clear.
There is an evacuation centre at St Marys Hall, Main Rd, St Marys and there is a nearby safer place at Fingal Football Ground.
If your family has made a bushfire survival plan, use it now.
If you don’t live near Tower Hill, stay away.
EARLIER: FIRE crews will spend Tuesday morning assessing the extent of property damage caused by an out-of-control bushfire which tore through parts of the Upper Derwent Valley yesterday.
Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Chris Arnol said a 1300ha blaze which started by lightning strikes in the rural area of Pelham about 3pm yesterday damaged “a handful” of Upper Derwent Valley structures.
“I don’t know the exact details of the damage at this stage or what structures have been damaged. It could be sheds, it could be homes,” he said.
“Having said that, crews saved a significant number of structures last night. Yesterday we were actively protecting homes near Honners Rd with 120 firefighters there at the fire’s peak.”
Mr Arnol said air assessments over the state this morning found one active blaze which had ignited overnight following the 468 lightning strikes which hit the state’s land yesterday.
“The one ignition we found this morning at Swan River between Swansea and Bicheno was a good result as far as lightning detection goes,” he said.
“That said, fires can still pop up so it comes back to people being aware. We’ve still got very high fire dangers across the state today. If fires pop up we want people to report them because we aren’t sure we’ve got them all detected.”
Mr Arnol said 67 fires started yesterday and two remain of concern on Tuesday - the Pelham Rd blaze and a bushfire at Mangana Rd, Fingal.
Two watch and act alerts were in place for the Pelham fire at noon on Tuesday— for Elderslie and Broadmarsh and for Pelham and surrounding areas
Three watch and act alerts are in place for the 1500ha Fingal bushfire at the same time — for Fingal and surrounds, Mangana and Tower Hill, and for Royal George Rd and Nowhere Else.
Mr Arnol said overnight rain brought some reprieve to fire conditions but said crews were finding it difficult accessing the Pelham Rd blaze.
“Access is difficult to that fire not only because of the smoke but there is some power infrastructure and trees down,” he said.
Mr Arnol said a 600ha bushfire was burning at Flinders Island on Tuesday morning that wasn’t of great concern to firefighters.
Bureau of Meteorology state manager Simon McCulloch said conditions would be favourable for firefighters across Tuesday and over the coming days.
“At this stage we can’t really see any bad days for fire conditions over the next four or five days,” he said.
“Weather conditions should be fairly helpful for firefighters today. Cooler conditions are expected across the state with temperatures in the low twenties.
“We’ve still got got high fire dangers but no where near the severe or extreme levels experienced yesterday.”
For up-to-date information, visit the TFS website or listen to ABC local radio.
EARLIER: A bushfire alert for Strathgordon in Tasmania’s south-west has been downgraded from watch and act level.
The fire, which was first reported at Pearce Basin, is now at advice level, while four watch and act alerts remain in place for bushfires first reported at Fingal in Tasmania’s north-east and Pelham in the Derwent Valley.
Tasmania Fire Service state public information officer Peter Middleton told ABC radio said fire activity at Fingal and Pelham had “reduced significantly”.
“What we’re trying to do now is get a full picture of what we’re dealing with, we’re mapping the fires, mapping where hotspots have spread to, and just trying to get that greater picture so we can resource the fires with fire trucks and crews and aircraft to work to contain these fires or gain greater control of the fires,” Mr Middleton said.
Mr Middleton said no property losses had been confirmed, but “it is likely that there is some property losses in the area”.
EARLIER:
FIVE bushfire watch and act alerts remain in place around Tasmania this morning.
Watch and act alerts are in place for Mangana and Tower Hill, as well as Royal George Rd and Nowhere Else for a fire first reported at Mangana Rd, Fingal, in Tasmania’s north-east. An advice message is in place for Fingal.
PROPERTY LOSS LIKELY AS FIRES RAGE ACROSS THE STATE
Watch and act alerts are also in place for Elderslie and Broadmarsh, as well as Pelham and surrounding areas, for a bushfire first reported at Pelham in the Derwent Valley.
A final watch and act alert is in place for Strathgordon for a blaze first reported at Pearce Basin in Tasmania’s south-west.
Fire crews undertook backburning at the Mangana Rd fire overnight, and put out spotfires at Pelham. There was not a lot of fire activity overnight at either blaze.
HOBART BREAKS 122-YEAR-OLD WEATHER RECORD
About six fires were started by lightning in the North-West, but they are all in patrol.
For more information, visit the Tasmania Fire Service website or listen to ABC local radio.
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