A Stieglitz man spent Tuesday night sleeping in his car after flames from a raging bushfire came within 70 metres of his east coast home.
Paul ‘Pugs’ De Beyer and his son Josh evacuated around 8pm after Tasmania Police officers ordered residents to leave.
Rather than head to the evacuation centre, the pair stayed in Pugs’ car with sleeping bags, determined to remain close to home.
“It’s a pretty daunting thing when you see all this stuff,” Pugs told Pulse from a car park on the side of the Tasman Highway.
He said a road near his property helped stop the blaze from reaching his house and praised the helicopter crews who worked through the night.
“They’ve done a fantastic job,” he said. “It looks like we’re very clear now compared to what we were.”
At least two buildings have been destroyed.
Break O’Day Mayor Mick Tucker said hundreds of people passed through the evacuation centre overnight, with more than 800 residents left without power.
Some locals also took shelter at the Stieglitz boat ramp after road closures cut off their escape.
“The fires are getting underway again with the wind picking up from the south,” Tucker told Local Radio on Wednesday morning.
Three fire fronts remain active, while the road from the Tasman Highway to St Helens Point is still closed.
Tucker said authorities would begin a full damage assessment once conditions allow.
“The most important thing at the moment is keeping people safe,” he said.
St Helens Marine Rescue operations manager John Sullivan told Pulse 12 volunteers were ready to evacuate residents by boat if required.
His crew went to the Stieglitz boat ramp around 10am Wednesday to make their presence known.
Sullivan said conditions had improved dramatically since Tuesday.
“[The conditions are] completely diametrically opposite to what it was yesterday,” he said.
“It was so aggressive. The wind was really, really strong and a lot of smoke.”
He photographed one destroyed home from the water, a timber building firefighters couldn’t save. “It was well and truly alight,” he said.
A ‘Watch and Act’ alert remained in place at 3pm for Parkside, Parnella, Stieglitz and the surrounding areas.
The Tasmania Fire Service said the fire between Dianas Basin and Stieglitz continues to be actively fought.
It remains unsafe to return due to fallen powerlines, dangerous trees and ongoing firefighting efforts.
Embers, smoke and ash may continue to fall across the area.
Residents who stayed are urged to monitor conditions closely and call Triple Zero (000) if they see the fire reigniting.
