‘It’s a death trap’: Montrose resident raises bushfire concerns ahead of El Nino summer

As summer approaches, and living close to dense bushland, Montrose resident Charles Wolf is a worried man. Fire warning >>>

A firefighter flees a blaze in Hobart’s outer suburbs near Coningham.

As summer approaches, Montrose resident Charles Wolf is a worried man.

Living close to dense bushland, and with a warmer, drier El Nino weather pattern recently confirmed, Mr Wolf is concerned his suburb is a ticking time bomb ahead of the summer fire season.

Mr Wolf said that heavily wooded hill that backs on to properties on the upper parts of Montrose Road had not seen fire for decades.

“There hasn’t been a burn-off on the side of the hill since the 1967 fires,” Mr Wolf said.

“As soon as a fire crosses the road here, which it will, then it’s straight into houses.

“It has to be burnt off now before summer. I challenge them to come and look at the bush and tell me it doesn’t need to be done.”

Lines run near and through trees on Montrose Road.

Mr Wolf said he was at Snug during the 1967 blazes, when he witnessed the fire cross from Tinderbox to Bruny Island.

The memories of seeing three dead bodies in those blazes have never left him, and it is not an experience he wants anyone else to go through.

“There’s only one road out here, it’s a death trap,” he said.

“There’s a lot of elderly people up here.

“And if one of these gums catches on fire, it’s going to take out the power lines.

“Something has to happen now before the fire season. If a north-westerly is blowing, it’s going to take out this valley.”

Tasmania Fire Service acting director of community fire safety, Chris Collins, described bushfire planning as a shared responsibility, with the TFS providing information to the state’s residents to assist with their own preparedness.

Mr Collins said that this included the Bushfire Safety Guide, and the Bushfire Plan.

“The Montrose area falls within the Glenorchy-Lenah Valley Community Protection Plan,” he said.

“This plan provides residents with local information relevant to bushfire risk, including what to do in a bushfire and the location of the identified Nearby Safer Places.”

Mr Collins said that the Fuel Reduction Program aimed to strategically reduce bushfire threat to Tasmanian communities, with the TFS completing several such burns in the immediate area of Montrose over recent years.

These included a 158ha area on the Montrose Trail in 2018, 65ha at Goat Hills in 2018 and a further 127ha in 2022, and 153ha at Goat Hills North in 2020.

Mr Collins said that further burns had been planned for the area as part of establishing a “mosaic” of bushfire fuel treatments across the eastern slopes of kunanyi/Mount Wellington.

“While a significant number of fuel reduction treatments have been completed in this area, it is important to note that fuel reduction burns do not prevent bushfires,” Mr Collins said. “Rather, they may reduce the intensity and impact of bushfires.

“As such, I would urge all residents to undertake their own preparations, and recommend readers visit www.fire.tas.gov.au to ensure their bushfire plan is up to date and review the most current information for their area.”