Bushfire town braves ‘high risk’

THE peak of yesterday’s heat saw the bushfire-hit township of Mangana put at “high risk” with an evacuation set up at nearby Fingal in the North East.

Just before noon a TFS spokesman advised that people in the Culders Gully Rd area at Mangana should start taking action to protect their homes and families.

Those without a safe place to go were told to head to Fingal.

But the alert level was lowered to ‘advice’ after 90 minutes.

State Fire Controller Bruce Byatt said the East Coast and the Midlands reached a fire danger rating of Extreme, which was the second highest rating on the scale.

“While the day is not over yet, the threat to the most populated parts of the state has eased, with no new bushfires starting today,” he said.

“Volunteer firefighters from almost every brigade in the Hobart and East Coast districts answered the call and stood by at their stations at the peak of the fire danger and we thank them for their dedication to their communities.”

SES Regional Chief (North) Ian Bounds said on Wednesday it was disappointing the fire had started and would divert resources away from other fires, because it was believed to have been deliberately lit.

A larger fire burning for the past four days at Mathinna, just to the northeast of Mangana, remained at an advice level through the day.

The causes of both blazes were under investigation as both are believed to have been deliberately lit.

Conditions around the state were easing last night.