Property owners returned to Dolphin Sands on Tuesday to confront the full scale of devastation, with 19 homes destroyed and 14 damaged in Tasmania’s most impactful fire disaster since 2013.
Tony McGuire, who built one of the area’s first houses, made the journey from Hadspen to assess the damage for the property’s new Queensland-based owners.
“I’d seen pictures on the internet already. And so I had a lot of idea. But it’s very hard … very difficult to take it all in,” he said.
“It’s the sickest thing you’ve ever seen. It’s terrible. My wife’s pretty emotional,” McGuire said, surveying the remains of pushbikes and a wheelbarrow among the ruins.
McGuire described seeing a neighbour emerge from the rubble, feeling devastated.
“Everything’s gone really terrible,” he said.
While long-term residents understood fire risks in the coastal scrubland, McGuire said the scale was unprecedented.
“We’re well aware of the fires here. Most of the residents are,” he said.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff acknowledged the trauma facing residents.
“You can well appreciate, walking in the shoes of those that have lost properties, how distressing and emotionally traumatic this time will be,” he said.
The government has committed to free property clean-up services for affected residents, while $11,000 in support grants has already been distributed to 26 individuals.
The investigation continues, with a registered burn conducted seven days before Thursday’s fire identified as an area of interest.
Police Commander Jason Elmer said returning residents received protective equipment and safety information as they accessed properties for the first time since the disaster.
Deputy Chief Officer Matt Lowe confirmed crews had made progress containing the fire ground.
A new blaze near St Helens emerged on Tuesday, which is threatening homes in the Stieglitz area.
