Residents returning to Mangana told to leave again ahead of dangerous fire conditions
Residents evacuated from Mangana this week are being told not to return to their homes, as it is possible the town will come under threat again this weekend.
Tasmania
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FINGAL Valley residents have been warned that Saturday will be a “very long day” as firefighters work frantically to shore up control lines and defences ahead of forecast high temperatures and wind.
And residents evacuated from the nearby town of Mangana earlier in the week are being told not to return to their homes, as it is possible the town will come under threat again.
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Backburning and containment line construction continued in earnest in the Fingal Valley today as fire crews made the most of the relatively mild weather to prepare for the onslaught of tomorrow’s dangerous and unpredictable conditions.
There were also some concerns about a large coal tailings dump at Fingal’s Duncan Colliery, which could burn for a very long time if ignited, so fire crews were working to ensure it remained safe.
Fingal currently sits between two uncontained bushfires, the larger one to the north of the town having formed out of the merging of three smaller fires between Mangana and Fingal.
The smaller fire to the south, burning on Mt Malcolm, started as a spot fire from the main blaze and is expected to be the more active fire when temperatures soar to an expected 34C tomorrow, with accompanying westerly winds.
“With those high temps tomorrow and westerly wind, we expect that fire will push against its eastern boundary, which risks the fire spreading into the Douglas Apsley National Park, which will make it a lot more difficult to control,” Tasmania Fire Service forward operations officer Gary Johnson said.
“That eastern boundary is still not secure, so last night we did some successful backburning along that eastern boundary and today we are working to secure its northern boundary as well, with water bombers holding the fire in position while we bring other resources in on the ground.”
The main blaze to the north also remains uncontrolled and while the eastern boundary has been extensively shored up with back-burns and fire breaks, the north-western boundary remains a concern, after a breakout occurred overnight, threatening Mangana once more.
One home has been lost in the area, on Tower Hill Rd. The resident said he was initially planning to defend his home but, after seeing what remained of it, was glad he evacuated.
The two fires at Fingal have now burned a combine area of about 11,000ha and firefighting efforts have been made more difficult by the number of old coal mine shafts in the area, posing a hazard to ground-based crews.
A community meeting was held in Fingal at 4pm, with residents receiving a briefing from Tasmania Fire Service and Tasmania Police. They were told to remain calm and to remain in the safety of the town centre as much as possible during the day.
TFS Northern Regional Chief Ian Bounds said the high temperatures and westerly winds would make the fires incredibly dangerous and firefighters would not be actively fighting the fire front, instead working on maintaining control lines to limit its activity.
“The fire will most likely be very active overnight,” he said.
“Tomorrow [Saturday] it will also be very smoky in the valley and visibility will be poor, which will make driving dangerous, and we urge people to avoid driving if possible.”
Police Commander Brett Smith also gave an update on investigations into the deliberately lit Mangana fire, saying a number of people had already come forward to provide information.
Break O’Day Mayor Mick Tucker said what people in Fingal found most devastating was the knowledge that the fire threatening their homes and lives had been deliberately lit.
“It is heartbreaking, the perpetrators of these acts need to be caught, locked up, and the key thrown away,” he said.
The Mangana and Mt Malcolm fires remain on watch and act alert levels.
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