Tasmanian bushfire emergency warnings upgraded as conditions deteriorate

24 January 2019

AUSTRALIA: The Tasmania Fire Service is warning ember attacks and dangerous fire conditions could hit before dawn, and are urging people in the Central Highlands and south of Huonville to think about their bushfire survival plans now.

An emergency warning has been issued this afternoon for the communities of Shannon, Waddamana, Hilltop and Penstock Lagoon due to the 20,000 hectare Great Pine Tier fire burning in the Central Plateau.

Areas south of Huonville have been put at watch and act alerts, with residents being asked to relocate now or ensure homes are prepared for bushfires.

Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) chief officer Chris Arnol said the service was expecting to have difficulty fighting fires “from the get-go” tomorrow, and that fires would break containment lines.

Mr Arnol said some communities would “definitely” be facing ember attacks.

“It’s important that people, particularly those south of existing fires, think about their bushfire plans and what they will need to do,” he said.

“There will be extremely strong winds and high temperatures, meaning that fire can move very quickly with the potential for embers to start fires up to 10km away.

“Even those whose homes are well prepared to defend against fire will find that under these conditions their property may not be defendable.”

Mr Arnol said Geeveston was expected to come under ember attack, but modelling suggested it would not face the ‘headfire’.

“People need to be ready for that, they need to know that their homes and they are psychologically prepared to deal with that sort of fire,” Mr Arnol said.

“What’s going to happen there is it’s going to go black. They’re going to have embers dropping all around them. People need to be prepared for that.

“It will be hot, windy, and dark, and there will be fire all around you. Think about that, and if you are prepared to have your family in those conditions, will you stay, or will you choose to leave tonight?”

He said the fire service had lifted Central Highlands communities to emergency warnings this afternoon because the fire’s behaviour had become erratic.

There are watch and act alerts for Lynch Hill, Pieman Road and Reece Dam to the west, Miena and Barren Tier in the Central Plateau.

Campers and bushwalkers with plans for the long weekend should reconsider, Mr Arnol said.

Waterbombing may not be possible

There are 53 fires burning across Tasmania, 29 of which were not contained.

Fire has so far burnt 63,500 hectares, with 805 kilometres of fire edge and 500 firefighters on the ground.

In addition to the blazes burning in Tasmania’s Central Plateau, fire are also still burning in the south-west, near Tahune, and there are concerns a fire at Celtic Hill could threaten irreplaceable vegetation at Mount Anne, inside Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Wind conditions forecast for tomorrow may mean some waterbombing aircraft cannot fly, said the Fire Service’s Jeff Harper.

“The weather tomorrow may see that our aerial assets that have been so vital to us over the last week or so not able to fly,” he said.

“The wind conditions are so turbulent that rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft, it’s not safe for them to fly under those conditions.”

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Simon McCulloch said dry lightning was expected from tomorrow morning, but it was impossible to predict which locations would be affected.

Hobart is expected to reach a top of 37 degrees tomorrow, with 38 forecast for Swansea and 39—40C for parts of the southeast.

“The conditions that we’re forecasting tomorrow are not as extreme as for Dunalley or the ‘67 fires, but the key thing is the amount of fire in the landscape already,” Mr McCulloch said.

Ancient vegetation faces deadly threat

There are also concerns irreplaceable Gondwanan vegetation could come under threat from a fire burning in the lowlands near Mount Anne, inside Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area.

The Celtic Hill fire has been burning since January 16, and now covers almost 2,000 hectares.

Pyrogeography and fire science professor David Bowman said the Mount Anne fire threat was serious, particularly with forecast difficult fire conditions later this week.

“It’s become serious because the fire that was burning in the lowlands is now running up the mountainside towards the sub-alpine area of Mount Eliza, which is getting in close proximity to extremely high-conservation-value vegetation that needs to be protected from fire,” Professor Bowman said.

“This is a hugely significant environment in terms of Gondwanan vegetation, there are pockets there which are just absolutely iconic.

“It’s really the crown jewels of Tasmania, these places like Mount Anne and the central part of the Lake St Clair Cradle Mountain National Park.

“It’s really up there as being something very special and extremely valuable, so having a fire on the perimeter of it is deeply concerning.”

Professor Bowman said he did not expect the area to be immediately at risk of burning, but he was becoming more concerned as summer progressed.

The area is home to vast tracts of King Billy pine forest and the Pandani Shelf, images of which were captured by renowned Tasmanian photographer Peter Dombrovskis in the 1980s and 90s.

Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service said it was planning a significant response to the fire threat in the area, including dropping fire retardant and establishing sprinkler lines — similar to those used to protect Lake Rhona earlier this month.

Peter Black, from the service, said the area was an important site and a biodiversity hotspot, but crucial vegetation was not yet under threat.

“There has been a small amount of wet forest and rainforest burnt around the edge of Mount Anne, but at this stage it hasn’t pushed in any further,” he said on Wednesday.

Mr Black said service members had so far struggled to access the area due to low-lying smoke.

The Tasmanian National Parks Association’s Nick Sawyer said plant communities in the Mount Anne area were of global significance, and a large part of the reason for the area’s World Heritage listing.

He said the natural values of Mount Anne were irreplaceable and irrecoverable if burnt.

“It would have to be on anybody’s list of places in the World Heritage Area that we really can’t afford to be burned or we’ll lose a lot of what it is that makes the World Heritage Area special,” Mr Sawyer said.

24. January 2019/by GFMCadmin