Updated – 7pm: The Tasmania Fire Service have downgraded the warning level of a bushfire at Seven Mile Beach to Advice.
The fire has burnt a significant amount of vegetation near Sandy Point, with “extreme wind gusts and hot, dry conditions” making efforts challenging for firefighters.
Lewisham, Dodges Ferry and Carlton remain under Advice warning, with the TFS urging residents to watch out for embers.
“Strong north-westerly winds may cause embers to cross the water to Lewisham, Dodges Ferry and Carlton this afternoon,” the TFS said at 4pm.
Updated – 4pm: People at Lewisham, Dodges Ferry and Carlton are being warned to be be alert for ember attacks, as strong north-westerly winds may push embers across the water from a bushfire at Seven Mile Beach fire this afternoon.
Residents have been told to watch for embers that could start new fires in their area, with the three areas placed under Advice warning.
Well prepared homes are expected to be defendable in the current conditions.
Regional fire controller Scott Vinen said fires at Seven Mile Beach and Colebrook were at Watch and Act level, with a handful more sitting at Advice.
The main fires of concern are around Colebrook and Seven Mile Beach.
Vinen said 15 crews and four aircraft were working on a fire at Yarlington, west of Colebrook.
A further fire started north of Colebrook on Mudwalls Road.
“There’s a few properties around a couple of the fires which we’ve had people door knocking on to try to make sure they’re prepared well in advance of the fire, and we’ve got aircraft scouting ahead of the fire as well,” he said.
Vinen said the conditions were making the fires hard to fight.
“The temperature, the dry air, and the wind speeds. And we’ve had gusts up to around 100 kilometres an hour up in those areas, so it makes it really difficult to control fires in those conditions,” he said.
He said some aircraft were grounded for a period but were now all flying.
Crews will work through the night, with cooler conditions and a wind change expected to help.
Asked if the fires could spread further, Vinen said “100%”.
Tasmania Police southern district duty officer David Summers said the wind had driven a huge number of calls to emergency services, with power lines down, trees across roads and boats set adrift statewide.
“If people don’t need to travel, I’d suggest that people stay inside and wait till the conditions improve,” he said.
Summers said no injuries had been reported.
Earlier – 2pm: The Tasmania Fire Service has upgraded its warning for a bushfire at Seven Mile Beach to Watch and Act, telling people to avoid the area.
The fire is travelling towards Sandy Point and is impacting now.
It is expected to be difficult to control.
The Tasmania Fire Service says embers, smoke and ash may threaten people and homes before the main fire arrives.
It may become difficult to see and breathe.
Crews are on scene and conditions are expected to change.
Residents are being told to take action now to protect themselves, their families and their homes.
Anyone with a bushfire plan should check it now.
People should decide early if they are going to leave and make sure they have a clear path to somewhere safer.
Those who are not prepared should be ready to leave, as homes may not be defendable.
The best option is to stay with family or friends, and people should only travel if it is safe to do so.
Earlier: A bushfire is burning at Seven Mile Beach and moving towards Sandy Point, with the Tasmania Fire Service telling nearby residents to keep a close watch on conditions.
An Advice warning is in place, meaning there is no immediate threat, but conditions are expected to change.
A second fire is also burning at Springhill Bottom Road at Colebrook, where an Advice warning has been issued.
The fire comes as Tasmania sweats through a brief warm spell between two rounds of severe weather.
Hobart was forecast to reach 27 degrees today, while Campania was the state’s hottest spot this morning at 25.9 degrees.
A high fire danger rating was forecast across King Island, the Furneaux Islands, the north-east, east coast, Midlands, upper Derwent Valley, south-east and western districts.
Tasmania Fire Service deputy chief officer Matt Lowe asked people to hold off on registered burns over the weekend.
“Strong winds and dry conditions mean fires can start easily and spread quickly,” he said.
Lowe said extra crews would be on standby.
“We’ll have dual brigade response for every incident across the state,” he said.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Matthew Thomas said the danger came down to a “combination” of “the hot, the dry and the windy conditions”.
Colder air is forecast for Monday, with Hobart dropping to around 14 degrees and snow falling to 400 metres in the south.
Lowe said anyone who sees smoke or flames should call Triple Zero immediately.
Updates are available on ABC Local Radio or at tasalert.com.
