Firefighters are working to contain three bushfires burning in Tasmania’s south today, with calmer conditions offering a crucial window before damaging winds return later in the week.
The blazes near Nugent have scorched thousands of hectares, but no homes are currently believed to have been lost.
Tasmania Fire Service Regional Chief Simon Pilkington said the easing of severe weather had helped firefighting efforts.
“The damaging winds that created challenging conditions for firefighters have eased overnight,” he said.
Helicopters are conducting waterbombing runs today, working with ground crews and heavy machinery to lock in containment lines.
“We are expecting two days of favourable firefighting conditions before winds return later this week,” Pilkington said.
Two emergency warnings issued on Monday afternoon were downgraded to ‘Watch and Act’ alerts by early evening.
Four warnings remain active across the region, with the most serious covering areas east of Masons and Nugent Road, where residents are being told to return with caution.
The fire danger rating has dropped to moderate across the east coast and rain forecast for Wednesday is expected to provide further relief.
Authorities are urging residents not to become complacent, with challenging conditions expected to return.
“I’d like to thank all agencies and volunteers involved in this incident for their hard work,” Pilkington said.
The cause of the fires remains under investigation.
Crews and aircraft will carry out impact assessments this morning to confirm no structures have been lost.
Residents are urged to keep monitoring TasAlert for updates and call Triple Zero (000) if they need emergency assistance or to report a fire.
