Rain brings some respite but bushfire danger is far from over in Tasmania
UPDATE 4.45PM: The fire service is urging continued vigilance despite the downgrading of all of the state’s fire emergency warnings. EARLIER: Huon Blues and Roots Festival cancelled.
Tasmania
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UPDATE 4.45PM: ALL of the state’s fire emergency warnings have been downgraded but the fire service has urged Tasmanians to remain alert as weather conditions look likely to worsen over the weekend.
The Tasmania Fire Service downgraded fires from emergency to “watch and act” today but said they could ramp up again at any time.
More than 580 people and 38 aircraft battled blazes throughout the state today.
Three firefighters have been injured during the ongoing response to the fires. Two volunteers from New Norfolk were injured in a light tanker rollover, with one being assessed for spinal injuries, while a Sustainable Timbers Tasmania firefighter was injured by a tree limb and transported to hospital.
The fire service today warned that fire fuels were up to 30 per cent higher this year than at the same time in previous years.
“We will be in this space for a number of weeks to come,” a TFS spokesman said.
UPDATE 1PM: THE Huon Blues and Roots Festival has been cancelled because of safety concerns as a total fire ban has been declared for the fire-ravaged region.
Australian rocker Tex Perkins was set to headline the event at Home Hill Winery at Ranelagh on Sunday.
QUALITY TEX TIME FOR HUON BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVAL
Organisers said they had been working closely with the Tasmania Fire Service to assess the safety risk posed by the bushfire burning in the Huon Valley.
“It is with regret the festival is now cancelled as we cannot compromise people’s safety, especially those in the high-risk areas,” they said in a statement this afternoon.
“Our thoughts and support are with those affected by the bushfires.
“Patrons will be able to receive a full refund through the ticketing provider Moshtix.
“We will be now holding a special afternoon show featuring Jeff Martin, Monique Brumby band and Tim Davies at The TAH [in Hobart] on the Sunday, February 3. Doors open at 4pm.”
UPDATE 12PM: The Tasmania Fire Service has declared a total fire ban for vast tracts of the state on Sunday as the bushfire danger continues.
In a statement, the TFS said the ban would cover the Break O’Day, Northern Midlands, Dorset, Brighton, Derwent Valley, Hobart, Sorell, Central Highlands, Glamorgan Spring Bay, Huon Valley, Southern Midlands, Clarence, Glenorchy, Kingborough and Tasman municipalities.
It means no fires may be lit or allowed to remain alight in the open air on Sunday through to 2am on Monday.
The temperature in Hobart is set to hit 28C tomorrow before soaring to 31C on Sunday.
UPDATE 11AM: Communities living near bushfires in Tasmania are being warned not to become complacent amid cooler weather, with hot conditions over the weekend likely to fuel blazes.
Emergency warnings for a massive fire at Huon Valley, south of Hobart, were downgraded today but authorities say the threat is far from over.
“People still need to be aware that the fires are quite active,” Tasmania Fire Service officer John Holloway told ABC Local Radio.
“Moving into Sunday, when we have some more northerly and hot wind predicted, those fires are likely to flare up again.”
Seven watch-and-act alerts for the Riveaux Rd blaze in the Huon Valley remain, while there are eight watch-and-act alerts for the Great Pine Tier fire in the Central Plateau.
“If you’re thinking about moving back to your property, and you’re thinking about defending it and further preparing it, a lot of these fires are at watch- and-act level which is still dangerous,” Mr Holloway said.
“There’s still a lot of smoke in those areas and that can be quite daunting to people thinking about moving back.”
More than 40 fires continue to burn across the state covering an area of 178,000ha.
Three homes have been lost to fires, while parts of a popular tourist attraction, the Tahune Airwalk, have been destroyed or badly damaged.
The Gell River blaze in the southwest has burned a small section of Mount Field National Park, northwest of Hobart.
Historical huts have been wrapped in protective silver foil after Churchill’s Hut, a near century-old trapper’s hut, burned down despite lengthy efforts to defend it.
Authorities have said boats may be used to evacuate and supply townships in the Huon Valley if they become isolated.
Meanwhile, a 42-year-old man is expected to front court on Friday accused of looting from evacuated homes in the Huon Valley.
He faces 30 charges, including multiple burglary and stealing offences.
“Fortunately this is the only reported series of crimes targeting evacuated properties,” detective acting inspector Jim Semmens said.
“I want to reassure the public that Tasmania Police will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.” The majority of stolen property was recovered and returned to the owners.
UPDATE 8AM: Boats may be used to evacuate and supply townships in southern Tasmania if they’re isolated by massive bushfires.
Cooler weather has helped firefighters battling sections of the Riveaux Rd blaze in the Huon Valley, southwest of Hobart.
But several communities remain under threat today, with five emergency alerts in place and authorities warning wind changes could lead to more closures of roads, including the Huon Highway.
“In the event that the situation becomes worse … we are looking at waterborne options,” Tasmania Police regional controller Tony Cerritelli.
FOR THE LATEST FIRE WARNINGS, CLICK HERE
In a statement issued late last night, Tasmania Police said they had charged a 42-year-old man with looting from evacuated homes in the Huon Valley.
First arrested on Monday, the man now faces 30 charges including multiple counts of burglary and stealing.
“Fortunately this is the only reported series of crimes targeting evacuated properties,” Detective Acting Inspector Jim Semmens said.
“I want to reassure the public that Tasmania Police will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.” The majority of stolen property was recovered and returned to the owners.
Fire crews are expected to use today’s cooler weather to shore up fire containment lines ahead of predicted dry, hot weather on Sunday.
“We’ll prepare for another bad patch. Make no mistake, fire still poses a risk to communities.” Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Chris Arnol said.
Emergency alerts remain for Geeveston, Judbury, Port Huon, Cairns Bay, Glen Huon, Lonnavale and Castle Forbes Bay.
More than 40 fires continue to burn across the state, consuming 178,000ha of bushland.
The Gell River blaze in the southwest has burned a small section of the Mt Field National Park, northwest of Hobart.
Authorities have wrapped historical buildings in silver foil after Churchill’s Hut, a near century-old trapper’s hut, burned down despite lengthy efforts to protect it.
Three homes have been lost to fires, while parts of a popular tourist attraction, the Tahune Airwalk, have been destroyed or damaged.
— AAP
OVERNIGHT: FIREFIGHTERS battling 42 bushfires across the state are taking advantage of cooler temperatures and the slightest falls of rain to consolidate ahead of Sunday’s hot weather.
Improved weather conditions today allowed the downgrading of fire warnings in the Huon Valley — but the state’s fire chief has warned the crisis is far from over.
The State Government has appointed a recovery co-ordinator to help rebuild communities affected by fire.
Light rain fell across parts of the West Coast and Huon Valley on Thursday, although not enough to douse a large bushfire burning in the state’s south which continues to menace towns and villages.
Fire authorities say the current fires have now consumed 178,000ha — equivalent to about 2.7 per cent of the island’s land mass.
The Health Department has warned vulnerable residents of Cygnet to consider leaving the smoke-filled town for the sake of their health.
Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Chris Arnol said firefighters were working to make the most of two days of reasonable weather.
FOR THE LATEST FIRE WARNINGS, CLICK HERE
“Firefighters are in a consolidation phase right now. But, make no mistake, fire still poses a risk to communities,” he said.
“We’re expecting another challenging day on Sunday so we’re working to shore up the containment lines that we’ve got in place already
“We understand our community is tired and concerned but we share those concerns and we’re really thinking of everyone in these fires.
“Firefighters are working hard for you but it remains a dynamic situation.”
Mr Arnol also urged householders to be careful to conserve town water supplies which were being stretched by the demands of firefighting efforts.
Improved weather conditions today meant several warnings for fire-affected areas were downgraded.
Emergency warnings for Franklin, Waterloo, Surges Bay, Brooks Bay, Glendevie and Police Point were downgraded to watch and act.
The warning for Dover was been downgraded from watch and act to advice level and Huonville remained at advice level.
Geeveston, Castle Forbes Bay, Glen Huon, Lonnavale and Judbury all remained subject at emergency warnings status.
MORE FIRE STORIES
RAIN RELIEF AS FIRE WARNINGS DOWNGRADED
DRAMATIC PICTURES: IN THE LINE OF FIRE
ONE HELL OF A TIME TO RUN LOW ON WATER
STRUGGLING ARTIST SAVED BY KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
HISTORIC TASSIE TIGER TRAPPER’S HUT LOST IN BLAZE
FARMER ANGELA BOND FACES ANXIOUS WAIT AS FIRE CREEPS CLOSER
FIRE’S FURY CAPTURED ON SECURITY CAMERA
TFS district officer Andrew McGuinness told reporters things were looking up for the moment.
“We’re actually making some significant progress as the fire comes down out of the bushland and into the grassed paddocks firefighters are able to undertake active suppression activities,” he said.
“People need to remain vigilant. Conditions can change really quickly and we would ask that people be on the front foot as Sunday approaches as fires could take a run that day and impact on communities surrounded by those fires.”
Tasmania police regional controller south Tony Cerritelli revealed police were putting plans in place to resupply Geeveston and surrounding areas from the sea if the Huon Highway was cut by fire.
“We’re looking at waterborne options,” he said. “So we’re working hard with a number of entities in order to swing that into activity for a number of reasons — one whether it’s through evacuations, whether it’s goods and services or for any other purpose which we may need to use that for.
“We are mindful that we need to try and keep that arterial road open but it has to be underpinned by the safety at all times.”
Also yesterday, Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman Ashley Rushton revealed that fire had entered a small section of the Mount Field National Park, although in other areas work to protect wilderness values had been successful.
“We have been doing natural value asset protections that have been very, very successful.
“At the top of Mount Anne, most of our alpine vegetation communities have been saved by those we have been able to put in place. We’ve been using Sisalation (a metal insulation foil) to wrap our other historical huts in that area and we’re also considering that for Walls of Jerusalem and that’s actually in place today as well.”
Aftermath of the Gell River fire, southwest Tasmania #tasfires 😕#politas #twwha pic.twitter.com/tmtbN8hUDY
— Shannon Wells (@shannon_wells) January 31, 2019
Director of Public Health Mark Veitch warned the continuing high levels of smoke were posing a health risk for some residents of Cygnet.
“Today we took the unusual step of recommending strongly to vulnerable people in Cygnet that they take time away from their town in the interests of their health,” Mr Veitch said.
“We did this because we know there will be a proportion of vulnerable people who’ve lived in Cygnet over the last couple of weeks — that’s people with heart disease, lung disease, elderly people, young children and pregnant women.
“The levels of smoke that have occurred in Cygnet over the last couple of weeks and we can expect for much of the next couple of weeks can put their health at risk. So we’re recommending to these people they spend time away from Cygnet in places that are much less smoky.”
And Premier Will Hodgman announced Dunalley fires recovery co-ordinator Michael Stevens had been asked to take on the same role helping the state to recover from the latest fires.
“Whilst there are many people who are facing the prospect of bushfires as we speak, there are some who have already entered a recovery process and it will be a long and ongoing process,’ he said.
“A recovery co-ordinator is really truly about providing on-the-ground support and assistance in a co-ordinated fashion, working very closely with local councils and making sure that any concerned Tasmania who lives in an area that’s being affected by bushfires is able to get the support and services they need.”
Mr Stevens told reporters work would start immediately.
“One of the things we’ve learned, as the Premier said is that the recovery starts before the danger passes, so it starts now.
“While the Tasmania Fire Service continues to battle the bushfires, we have turned our minds to how we can support those Tasmanians whose lives are being changed by these events.
“Importantly we must listen to those who have been affected and hear from them about how we can support their recovery.”
Huon and Kingborough residents leaving their homes because of the bushfires are advised that the:
Huon Evacuation Centre at the Huon Valley PCYC on 42 Wilmot Road remains open and active.
Kingborough Evacuation Centre at the Kingborough Sports Centre will be closed overnight as there are currently no people using the centre. This centre will re-open at 10am on Friday.
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