Communities on Tasmania’s west coast are facing worsening bushfire conditions, with dangerous winds fanning multiple blazes in remote and difficult terrain. Tasmania’s fire commissioner has described it as a “very difficult day,” as crews battle fires near Zeehan, Granville Harbour, Pieman Heads, Corinna, Trial Harbour, and the Renison Bell mine site. Watch and Act and Emergency Warnings remain in place across the region.
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00:00At the Sports Oval in Tulla, on Tasmania's west coast, an interstate team is setting
00:08up a base camp that can cater for more than 100 firefighters.
00:12We're a mini city on wheels, our aim is not to impose on the local town or the local area.
00:18The fires have been burning for more than 10 days and with temperatures exceeding 30
00:23degrees, and winds hitting 90km an hour on Thursday, the risk level is rising.
00:30This is a dynamic situation and we have another 12 hours of extremely difficult firefighting
00:34conditions.
00:36At the remote coastal community of Pyman Heads, residents prepared for the worst as flames
00:42got to within 900 metres of their shacks.
00:44We're safe, we're all good and we're safe, we're all prepared, ready to go if we have
00:51embers fall.
00:52The fires have burned through more than 70,000 hectares.
00:56With confirmation, one of the privately operated huts on the overland track has been destroyed.
01:02It's quite stressful, not just the hut of course, but the impact on the general environment.
01:07It's a very special place so it affects us all, yeah.
01:10Almost a kilometre of boardwalk, as well as a bridge on the popular hiking trail, have
01:15also been severely damaged.
01:18It will obviously need to be either repaired or replaced, so that may prolong the duration
01:25of the closure of the overland track.
01:27The fires have also put other major assets at risk, with emergency management protocols
01:33enacted at the Rees Power Station and the Renison Bell Mine.
01:38Emergency assistance grants have been activated for affected communities here on the west
01:43coast, with financial support of $250 per adult and $125 per child now available.
01:52These are to support people affected with matters such as food, clothing, shelter and
02:00other essential daily needs.
02:02A westerly front is expected to sweep across the state this evening, bringing much colder
02:07conditions and about 5-15mm of rain on Saturday, not enough to douse the flames.
02:14We aren't really seeing any sign of big, meaningful rain for the west for the coming week or maybe
02:21even two weeks.
02:22Meaning the west coast will remain on high alert for many days to come.