Homes have been lost at Dolphin Sands as firefighters battle multiple bushfires across southern Tasmania following a day of dangerous conditions.
Tasmania Fire Service crews are focusing efforts on fires at Dolphin Sands and Glenlusk, with blazes at Abels Bay, Colebrook, Levendale and Rhyndaston to be reassessed this morning.
Southern Regional Chief Simon Pilkington said several emergency warnings and watch and act alerts were issued on Thursday as strong winds made fires difficult to control.
“The conditions were unpredictable and unfortunately for much of the day we were not able to safely deploy aircraft to assist firefighting efforts,” he said.
A slight improvement in conditions late yesterday afternoon allowed authorities to downgrade many of the alerts.
“We are aware of property losses in Dolphin Sands and will be completing rapid impact assessments this morning to confirm the extent of this, when safe to do so,” Pilkington said.
He said Friday’s weather was expected to be more favourable for firefighting.
“… We are confident we will make good progress,” he said.
“In addition to crews on the ground, we will look to have aerial resources deployed to Dolphin Sands.”
An evacuation centre remains open at Swansea Town Hall for residents affected by the Dolphin Sands fire.
A number of residents also sheltered at Bagots Point overnight.
“… We commend them on taking this action to keep themselves safe,” Pilkington said.
Authorities are urging residents to stay informed via tasalert.com as the situation continues to develop.
