Fire crews battle Smithton house fire
Fire crews are on the scene of a house engulfed in flames in the state’s north. THE LATEST >>>
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A house is currently engulfed in flames on Old Stanley Road West in Smithton.
Crews from Smithton, Stanley, Irishtown and Forrest are on scene working to extinguish the fire.
More to come..
‘Sounded like a car crash’: Man injured in boat explosion
A MAN has suffered serious burns in an explosion that “sounded like a car crash” at a boat yard in Derwent Park, north of Hobart, on Saturday.
Police confirmed the man, aged in his 50s, was working on a boat at Gepp Parade when the explosion occurred at about 2.40pm.
He was taken to Royal Hobart Hospital and the boat suffered minor damage.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus scoured the scene following the incident while police examined a blue sailboat.
The boat, docked at the wharf and stationed between another vessel and a wooden shed, appeared to have scorch marks on its unrigged sail and one of it’s windows was smashed.
One neighbour said the explosion “sounded like a car crash”, adding it looked as if a nearby shed had been damaged in the blast.
Police said investigators are still investigating the cause of the explosion.
Police asked the public to avoid Gepp Parade while emergency services responded to the explosion.
Deliberately lit shed fire causes $50k damage
A deliberately lit fire tore through a shed in Glenorchy, causing an estimated $50,000 worth of damage earlier this morning.
Tasmania Fire Services crews from Hobart and Glenorchy attended the property on Tolosa Rd just before 6.00am.
Upon arrival, the fire in the 6m x 7m shed, which contained a vehicle, was going well, according to TFS.
Investigations into the incident revealed the fire had been deliberately lit.
The suspect is not currently known.
The make and model of the vehicle is also unknown at this stage.
A spokesperson from TFS believed there was no damage to the property the shed was located on.
Woman passes away following crash
A woman has died in hospital following a shock single vehicle crash near St Helens on Tuesday afternoon.
The 58-year-old woman was the driver of a silver Hyundai sedan that collided with a power pole on the Tasman Highway at about 4.50pm.
She was airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital in a critical condition but has since passed away.
Two passengers in the vehicle were taken to St Helens Hospital with minor injuries.
“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all involved,” Tasmania Police said in a statement.
“The crash investigation is ongoing, and a report is being prepared for the coroner.”
Anyone who witnessed the crash or assisted at the scene is asked to contact St Helens Police Station on 131 444 or via Crime Stoppers Tasmania at www.crimestopperstas.com.au.
Police locate deceased person
Tasmania Police have located a deceased person after a call for a welfare check at a residence in Sorell on Wednesday afternoon.
Teenager charged over fire
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested after a bushfire burnt about 1 hectare of grass and fences in Hobart’s northern suburbs on Tuesday — a fire police say was deliberately lit.
Tasmania Police and Tasmania Fire Service crews responded to multiple deliberately lit grass fires in the Bridgewater, Herdsmans Cove and Gagebrook areas.
“Police arrested a 16-year-old male regarding a fire that burnt around 1 hectare of grass and
fences in Lamprill Circle and Holloway Drive. He was given conditional bail to appear in the
Hobart Youth Justice court at a later date,” police say.
Investigations regarding other fires lit in the area are ongoing.
Anyone with information on the fires are urged to contact Bridgewater Police or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
Bushfire under control
Fire crews were quick to contain a large grass fire in the Bridgewater and Herdsmans Cove areas, after the blaze broke out late on Tuesday afternoon.
Firefighters from Bridgewater, Old Beach and Glenorchy were called to the scene at Lamprill Circle before 5pm, after receiving reports of a fire on the Derwent River side of Herdsmans Cove.
Members of the public were urged to avoid the area because of smoke and reduced visibility.
Bridgewater resident Rory Jones said the blaze appeared to be well under control before 6pm.
“It looked like it was a small thing … One that had caught on the bank of the Derwent,” he said.
“Because of where it is it was probably hard to get to I imagine.”
Mr Jones said smalls fires weren’t uncommon in the area.
“Especially along the blank of the Derwent, they do tend to be lit by people with nothing better to do,” he said.
He said it was surprising to see so many aircraft battling the blaze.
“It was quite dramatic, there were four or five firebombing helicopters and other aircraft circling,” Mr Jones said.
“It’s unusual to see five or five different aircraft circling Bridgewater.”
Large grass fire, Herdsmans Cove
Multiple units from the Tasmanian Fire Service and Tasmania Police are dealing with a large grass fire on the Derwent River side of Herdsmans Cove.
TFS advises there is limited access to Lamprill Circle, Holloway Drive and Whelan Drive and people are asked to avoid the general area due to smoke and reduced visibility.
Resident Chloe Heather said there were three helicopters and two sea planes flying over the suburb, dumping water to douse the blaze.
“They’ve put a fair bit of water on it though ... (the fire) was quite large,” she said.
Flames ‘up higher than the roof’ in $150k blaze
A fire that closed four streets and several businesses in Moonah this afternoon started by an exploding gas bottle, with the blaze causing about $150,000 in damage.
Senior station officer Val Ansett said they received multiple triple-0 calls about 12.45pm.
“The calls were initially to a LPG cylinder on fire and then it quickly escalated to a building on fire as well,” Officer Ansett said.
“We sent trucks from Glenorchy, Bridgwater and Hobart to attend. The first arriving truck that got here was confronted with a 90kg gas cylinder that was venting.
“Flames were up higher than the roof of the building.”
Officer Ansett said the fire spread to a caravan, to a shed and to the side of the building.
“Our concern was, after initially making sure that there was no one in the building and that that was safe, was preventing the fire spreading any further,” he said.
“LPG cylinders are pretty scary when they heat up so we had to use a lot of water to cool them down.
“The fire was extinguished using five trucks and about 20 firefighters and we’re now going through the process of the investigation.”
He said some officers and one occupant were treated on scene.
“We were treating some firefighters for heat exhaustion, but very minor injuries. I believe one of the occupants had a bit of smoke injury,” Officer Ansett said.
“Once we’ve got a large fire like this we evacuate all of the surrounding businesses until we can ensure that the gas cylinders are safe and the fire’s been contained and then they can move back into the premises.
“On a hot day like today we’re dealing with bush fires, I’ve had to send one of the crews out to bush fires, we’ve got something going on out at Bruny Island, we are spread quite thin but we’re doing our best to serve the community.”
He estimated the damage to the caravan, shed, gas cylinder and building was about $150,000.
INITIAL, 1PM:
Emergency services are at the scene of a fire at Jayco Hobart on Main Road Moonah.
Hopkins Street, Charles Street, Amy Street and Main Road are closed and motorists are asked to use Derwent Park Road.
A number of businesses have been evacuated in the area.
Members of the community are asked to avoid the area until the scene is cleared.
Tasmania Fire Service remain at the scene extinguishing the fire.
Bushfire: Rosebery
Rosebery and surrounds residents are being urged to monitor conditions with Tasmania Fire Service issuing a bushfire advice message for Primrose Road and Flume Road.
TFS says there is no immediate threat, with the fire travelling towards Mount Black.
Tasmania Fire Service is attending. Conditions are expected to be changeable.
It comes as Bureau of Meteorology high fire danger ratings are still in place around the state, with the Tasmania Fire Service responding to bushfires at Cloudy Bay Lagoon, Bruny Island and Bonnet Bay, Lake Pedder.
What to do:
If you have a bushfire plan, check it now.
Well prepared homes are expected to be defendable in these conditions.
Monitor conditions, and if they get more dangerous, and you are not well prepared, plan to go to a safer place.
For fire updates, visit tasalert.com
People at higher risk from the effects of smoke, including those with medical conditions, are advised to have a personal plan for avoiding smoke and managing their health.
If there is a fire and your plan is to evacuate or leave, the best option is to stay with family or friends.
Warehouse on fire
6.26am Monday, January 16: Crews from Launceston and Ravenswood are attending a structure fire at a vacant warehouse in Board Mill Drive, St Leonards.
A Tasmanian Fire Service spokesperson said on arrival crews found a fire in an office in the warehouse which was quickly extinguished.
Further information will be provided when available.
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