State Cabinet briefed as emergency warnings issued for vast tracts of Tasmania
UPDATED, 8.40pm: The Premier has lauded the efforts of Tasmanian and interstate firefighters as an out-of-control bushfire reached the car park area of the Tahune Airwalk tourist attraction. WATCH THE TFS MEDIA CONFERENCE
Tasmania
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UPDATED, 8.40pm: PREMIER Will Hodgman has praised the work of firefighters from Tasmanian, interstate and overseas after state cabinet was briefed by emergency services chiefs on Tasmania’s bushfire threat.
Mr Hodgman said the state was ready for the challenge of Friday’s bad fire weather.
“There are a lot of people out fighting these fires to keep communities safe, not only career officers but also many volunteers,” he said.
“We thank him for their efforts and we also acknowledge the stress that communities are suffering.
“Our priority as a government is to protect life and property and also to manage as best we can to prevent damage to our precious wilderness areas.
“We’ve well-prepared for this and the response in my view to date has been exceptional. “That’s not to say it will not continue to be a major challenge for our personnel.
“I want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our fire service, our Parks and Wildlife Service who are also actively fighting fires across our state, to acknowledge the interest other organisations and parties such as Sustainable Timber Tasmania and also welcome the Commissioner [of Police].
“We should take the opportunity also to thank those who come from interstate and from New Zealand.”
Mr Hodgman urged residents to report outbreaks of fire, to heed the warnings of emergency services and to prepare their properties for the potential impact of bushfire.
“And finally I think the most important thing is to remind Tasmanians of the risk.
“We do live in one of the most bushfire-prone places on the planet. This is not new to Tasmanians and we are prepared but it’s critical that we remain vigilant.”
UPDATED, 2.40pm: A bushfire burning out of control in southern Tasmania has reached the car park area of the Tahune Airwalk tourist attraction.
Tasmania Fire Service district officer Stuart Males said no assets had been lost but crews were on standby.
“We have crews out there at the moment who are monitoring the situation and are on stand-by to protect any assets, including buildings and other infrastructure,” Mr Males said.
“We also have crews who are at the Southwood veneer plant. There’s no direct threat to that facility but there’s crews up there to make sure any preparations that are required are put in place.”
The Tahune fire reached emergency level earlier today, with concerned residents of the region gathering at the Geeveston Community Hall for an information session on the situation.
The Geeveston, Huonville and Cygnet libraries have all closed early as smoke cloaks the area.
More than 10 volunteer firefighters today remain at Geeveston fire station to conduct “business as usual”, including alarm calls and house fires.
“Their primarily providing township protection at this point in time but they are a resource that can be called upon to go out to the West if conditions deteriorate,” Mr Males said.
“We have a number of volunteer brigades from up and down the district, whose areas aren’t impacted, who have come in to provide that frontline firefighting effort.
“Volunteers are vitally important. We are heavily reliant on the volunteers’ efforts and they go above and beyond on many occasions to provide protection to their township.”
Huon Valley Mayor Bec Enders said 19 adults and children took shelter at the Huonville PCYC evacuation centre yesterday to escape Tahune blaze.
“That remains open today and it will as long as the community needs it,” she said.
“It’s a sporting ground complex, so we have other buildings we can accomodate people in, with showers.
“We can make people really comfortable at the PCYC and there’s a lot of places for kids to play as well.
“We also have the Ranelagh Showgrounds, that’s not opened at the moment but that’s for large livestock.
“The community is keeping in touch with us about whether they have any livestock that needs to be housed.
“There’s staff ready to open it if there’s a demand.”
Cr Enders said the Tahune Airwalk was “an iconic tourism component of the Huon Valley”.
“It will definitely have an impact, depending on how much needs to be recovered,” she said.
“I’m aware [the fire] has broken through the containment line and it’s jumped the Picton River.
“We’re too far away to find out how much damage has been done but it’s an iconic part of the Huon Valley and southern Tasmania.”
UPDATED, 1.40pm: The fire front bearing down on Miena in Tasmania’s Cental Highlands is now within 1km, according to locals.
The online reports come after the TFS earlier today issued an emergency warning for the township.
Meanwhile shack owners who live in other parts of the State say they want to drive up and see how their holiday spot is faring. But the TFS has warned people to stay away from the area and has issued five other emergency warnings for communities to the east of the Great Pine Tier fire.
SEE THE LATEST TFS WARNINGS HERE
The Bothwell community has opened their homes to 21 Miena residents who have had to leave their town.
Miena and several surrounding shack communities are back on emergency warning as Tasmania Fire Services fights to contain a number of blazes burning on fronts from the Great Pine Tier blaze which are threatening Shannon, Liawenee and other sites in the Central Highlands.
“It’s starting to look dodgy again. Everyone’s too busy to give me updates,” Great Lakes Hotel owner Kaylee Hattinger said this morning.
The TFS issued a bushfire emergency warning for Miena at 12.08pm.
The town was also on high alert yesterday but conditions eased overnight.
“The wind has changed and it is very smokey but we don’t know much more than that at this stage,” she said.
UPDATED, 12.30pm: A Boeing 737 waterbomber is on the way to assist with the fight against bushfires across the state.
The Coulson B737 Airtanker can carry 15000 litres of firefighting foam or gel and can fly at 850km/h.
It will join a C130 firebomber which has been working on fires in recent days along with more than 20 other fixed-wing and helicopters performing waterbobming, spotting and fire mapping duties.
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The aircraft are provided through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, which provides a cooperative national arrangement for combating bushfires.
An additional Large Air Tanker has just left Richmond for Tasmania. Gaia will join the firefighting effort as our colleagues face challenging conditions over coming days. #nswrfs #tasfires @TasFireService pic.twitter.com/z62sLEfyyu
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 21, 2019
The boost to Tasmania’s firefighting arsenal comes as concerned locals gather in the Geeveston Community Hall for a briefing on the fire situation at Tahune, which has been escalated to emergency level.
Escaping thick smoke outside, concerned locals have been asking questions of TFS community liaison officer Lesley King.
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Close to 100 people have gathered for the TFS’s drop-in information session.
The TFS has told people to review their bushfire plan and be prepared to evacuate.
It is believed some residents are having trouble connecting to the internet and are relying on ABC Local radio for up to date information.
The Ranelagh Showgrounds has been opened for livestock and pets but people must supply their own cages and fences.
The Great Lakes township of Miena and several surrounding shack communities are also back on emergency warning level as TFS crews battle to contain a number of blazes at Great Pine Tier, Shannon, Liawenee and other sites in the Central Highlands.
“It’s starting to look dodgy again. Everyone’s too busy to give me updates,” Great Lakes Hotel owner Kaylee Hattinger said this morning.
The TFS issued a bushfire emergency warning for Miena at 12.08pm.
The town was also on high alert yesterday but conditions eased overnight.
“The wind has changed and it is very smoky but we don’t know much more than that at this stage,” Ms Hattinger said.
EARLIER: EMERGENCY services chiefs have briefed Tasmanian Cabinet on the state’s deteriorating bushfire situation.
There are more than 50 fires burning around the state — including five for which emergency warnings have been issued.
Those fires — at the Tahune Airwalk in the Huon Valley and at Tods Corner, Penstock Lagoon and Shannon in the Central Highlands — have burned through more than 6500 hectares of bush, although there are not reports of property damage or injuries.
Watch and Act alerts apply to the town of Miena and advice messages have been issued over fires near Liawenee, Geeveston, Barren Tier, Pieman Heads and Conical Rock. Smoke wanings are current for the Huon Valley and Hobart areas.
Premier Will Hodgman this morning paid tribute to the firefighters on the frontline.
“There are a lot of people out fighting these fires to keep communities safe, not only career officers but also many volunteers,”
he said.
“We thank him for their efforts and we also acknowledge the stress that communities are suffering.
MORE ON FIRES:
“Our priority as a government is to protect life and property and also to manage as best we can to prevent damage to our precious wilderness areas.
“There are significant fronts that are being fought now. We’ve well-prepared for this and the response in my view to date has been exceptional. That’s not to say it will not continue to be a major challenge for our personnel.
“I want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our fire service, our Parks and Wildlife Service who are also actively fighting fires across our state, to acknowledge the interest other organisations and parties such as Sustainable Timber Tasmania and also welcome the Commissioner [of Police].
“We’re not at the point now where we need to invoke statewide emergency measures but we are ready should that eventuality occur, we are ready to deal with that circumstance.
“We should take the opportunity also to thank those who come from interstate and from New Zealand.”
Mr Hodgman urged residents to report outbreaks of fire, to heed the warnings of emergency services and to prepare their properties for the potential impact of bushfire.
“And finally I think the most important thing is to remind Tasmanians of the risk. We do live in one of the most bushfire-prone places on the planet. This is not new to Tasmanians and we are prepared but it’s critical that we remain vigilant.”
Meanwhile, the smoke haze lingering over Hobart is expected to disperse this afternoon, as the capital’s run of record breaking weather comes to a short-lived end.
The mercury is tipped to peak in the low to mid 30s across the state this afternoon, before a cold front hits tonight.
Hobart has sweltered through maximum temperatures over 20 degrees for a record 31 days now.
The Bureau of Meteorology says cooler conditions will include showers in the southwest this evening and across the south of the state early tomorrow morning.
The cool reprieve will be shorted lived however, with the temperatures soaring back up to a maximum of 26 on Thursday and 33 on Friday.
Friday will also likely see strong, gusty winds, creating another day of high fire danger.
More than 50 fires continue to burn across the state, including five emergency warnings at the Tahune Airwalk, Tods Corner, Penstock Lagoon, Shannon and Liawenee.
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