Permits on hold as state cleans up

A TEMPORARY ban has been placed on fire permits as Tasmania looks to recover from a destructive bushfire season.

Tasmania Fire Service station officer Darren Gye said a statewide embargo was in place, meaning no permits were being handed out to light anything over a cubic metre.

He said the only exception was for crop stubble in the North-West.

“Fires under a cubic metre – we use the comparison of about the size of a washing machine – may be lit and do not require a permit,” Mr Gye said.

“However, we encourage people to register their burn with the TFS to avoid an unnecessary visit from their local brigade.”

Firefighters have been forced to respond to multiple unregistered fires on a property in Randalls Bay in the South over the past three days, but the burns were not subject to a permit because they were under a cubic metre.

Mr Gye said barbecues, campfires or incinerators did not need a permit but must be at least 3m away from overhanging branches, stumps, logs, trees and other flammable material.

He said local council regulations also applied to private fires.

A person must stay with the fire until it is completely extinguished.

“Whenever you light a fire on your property, permit or not, you may be held responsible for any loss or damage if that fire escapes from your control,” Mr Gye said.

Several days of favourable weather conditions have allowed fire crews to make significant inroads in containing fires across the state.

Mr Gye said forecast rain in coming days had “allowed many crews an opportunity to gain some well-earned rest”.

“This rest is important as it will freshen crews up so they can continue the long and arduous task of blacking out the critical edges of these fires which to date have burnt over 205,000ha,” he said.