BLAZE ALERT
Firefighters close to beating East Coast bushfires
A BUSHFIRE that broke out near Risdon Vale late yesterday afternoon was posted at “advice” level by the Tasmania Fire Service overnight.
Seven fire tankers, a heavy pumper and a helicopter were part of the effort to fight the fire on Magnolia Rd last night.
The TFS issued a smoke alert for Risdon Vale, Geilston Bay, Lindisfarne and Warrane and said ash was falling on Risdon Vale.
There was no immediate threat to properties last night but the TFS said people in Risdon Vale should keep up to date, and those who were not prepared for a bushfire should think about leaving if the situation got more dangerous.
Firefighters on the East Coast were yesterday getting on top of a bushfire southwest of St Helens, near Upper Scamander that has been burning since October 17.
The fire service said significant progress had been made in bringing the blaze, burning in difficult terrain, under control.
The fire remained behind containment lines yesterday, and firefighters will continue to strengthen those lines and extinguish the fire over the coming days.
A massive aerial water bomber was brought in from NSW last week to help.
Thor, a C130 Hercules, can drop 15,000 litres of water on to a fire in a little under a minute.
TFS, Parks and Wildlife Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania crews are working on the fire at Argonaut Rd.
There is also a bushfire in the area of Powers Rd, Pyengana, and Siamese and Terryvale roads, Goshen, which the TFS is bringing under control.
This fire has also been burning since October 17 and the fire service, Parks and Wildlife Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania crews are fighting it.
Both East Coast fires remained at advice level last night and people in those areas were urged to keep up to date.
“If you are not prepared for a bushfire, think about leaving for a safe place if conditions get worse,” the TFS said.
The latest fire information is available from the Tasmania Fire Service website.
Several road closures remained in place on the East Coast last night due to the fires. Road closure information is available from the Tasmania Police website.