One feared dead as fires ravage Tasmania

A MAN is feared dead and communities are bracing for a catastrophic morning as bushfires tear across Tasmania.

Two huge bushfires were threatening more Tasmanian communities after homes were destroyed and police investigated a suspected death in the south of the state.
Up to 65 buildings, including houses, a school and an RSL club, had been destroyed in the small community of Dunalley, 55 kilometres southeast of Hobart.
Police said around 15 properties at nearby Boomer Bay and more at Connellys Marsh had also been lost as the impact of catastrophic fire conditions in southern Tasmania began to emerge.
More communities were being affected late on Friday night by the Dunalley area fire and another in the Derwent Valley northwest of Hobart which was causing concern again after winds changed.

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Man feared dead as fire devastates town

 

Man feared dead as fire devastates town

Reports of a death in a huge bushfire in the Tas town of Dunalley as up to 65 buildings have been damaged.

Copping and Boomer Bay residents were being advised to move to the site of the Falls music festival at Marion Bay, while the communities of Dodges Ferry, Primose Sands, Connellys Marsh and Susans Bay were also being threatened.
Fire crews were monitoring potential spot fires further south at Eaglehawk Neck and banking on a southerly change due late on Friday night to stop the fire from spreading.
The second fire was impacting Karanja, with Lawrenny and Hamilton expected to be affected on Saturday morning.
Tasmania deputy police commissioner Scott Tilyard said a team was on the ground at Dunalley to investigate a fire crew's concerns that a man may have been trapped while trying to defend his house.

A major bushfire swept through Dunalley in Tasmania. Picture: Richard Jupe

"We can't at this early stage rule out that there has been loss of life," Mr Tilyard said in Hobart.
He said around 50 people had sheltered near the Boomer Bay jetty and another group were safe at the local pub.
Police boats were checking the shoreline for people reported to be sheltering in the water - although none had been located - as well as ferrying supplies to the cut-off Tasman Peninsula.
A helicopter was evacuating those needing treatment.

Smoke plume from a bushfire burning at Forcett in Tasmania. Photo: Twitter, @foodsideoflife

Electricity and some phone communications were out of action on the peninsula, which was cut off with the closure of the major Arthur Highway.
Around 600 people were taking refuge at temporary accommodation at Nubeena and 1500 people were reported to have visited the Port Arthur convict ruins on Friday.
"Those people are being looked after as best we can," Mr Tilyard said.
"The main thing is they are safe."

A bushfire rages out of control near Copping, in southern Tasmania, as temperatures in the state top 40C. Picture: Killick David

Huge plumes of smoke were visible from Hobart as the island capital sweltered through its hottest day on record. The temperature reached 41.8C at 4.05pm (AEDT), the hottest it has been since record keeping started in 1883.
Tasmania Fire Service Chief Officer Mike Brown said conditions on Friday had reached the catastrophic level in the rating system that was developed after the Black Saturday fires in Victoria.
Mr Brown said a change would bring lower temperatures and higher humidity, but little rain.
"Tonight we still consider that there's a serious danger," he said.

Smoke from a fire at Forcett, Tasmania. Photo: Twitter, @SussanSays

Acting premier Bryan Green said the state government would provide whatever emergency assistance was needed and would liaise with the federal government.
A police hotline has been activated for people concerned about relatives and friends - 1800 567 567.
In Victoria, work is under way to restore Victoria's Country Fire Authority website to full capacity.
The crash occurred as the state sweltered through its hottest day in several years. At some points up to 700 people a second tried to access the website and FireReady App.
In a statement late on Friday, Victoria's fire services commissioner Craig Lapsley said he had asked CFA chief Mick Bourke to investigate why some people were still experiencing delays on the website.
Mr Lapsley said the CFA would work throughout the weekend to respond to the issue as a "key priority".
"We recognise it has been frustrating for people who rely on the website and app for fire information," he said.
"Seeking out the appropriate information is exactly what we have been asking the community to do and we know people are relying on this technology to keep themselves updated about their fire risk."
The capacity of the website and the FireReady App were increased after the crash.
Mr Lapsley says important fire information is also available from ABC radio, SKY NEWS, and CFA social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.
Victorian fire latest
In South Australia, three farming properties were under threat from a bushfire on Fleurieu Peninsula.
The blaze, which eased late in the day, was among several across the state on Friday as temperatures soared into the high 40s in some centres and reached a scorching 44.5C in Adelaide.
The Country Fire Service said the fire near Currency Creek had been tackled by ground crews, fixed wing aircraft and a water-bombing helicopter.
Another blaze on the Yorke Peninsula was contained during the day.
CFS crews were kept busy monitoring a fireground in the Clare Valley, where a fire was burning within control lines. At Truro, north of Adelaide, a car crash sparked a small fire.
CFS spokesman Mal Watts said while a cooler change was expected to bring some relief to coastal areas of the state on Saturday, fire fighters would remain on high alert.
They were concerned that wind shifts with the temperature change could cause further problems, especially at Currency Creek.
"We are throwing everything that we are able to at incidents as they occur," he said.
"We've got to get through today, then we get a bit of a lull and then we're back into it again next week.
"We can't be complacent. We can't think it's just today."
The Bureau of Meteorology said temperatures in Adelaide would drop to the low 30s on Saturday but forecast a return to very hot conditions for most of next week.
resource:http://www.news.com.au/national/one-feared-dead-as-fires-ravage-tasmania/story-fncynjr2-1226547910432

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