FIREFIGHTERS are on high alert and equipment on stand-by as Tasmania's hot and windy weather conditions continue today.
The Bureau of Meteorology expects temperatures to rise up to 38 degrees celsius and the Tasmania Fire Service has declared it a day of total fire ban.
Bushfires are already burning at Molesworth in the state's South and north-east of Bicheno on the East Coast.
TFS chief officer Mike Brown said firefighters had worked hard on containment lines for those bushfires in anticipation of the dangerous conditions.
``It's going to be a hot day. It's going to be a windy day. We need people to have an understanding of what's happening around them. If you see smoke, respond to that. If you see fire, call 000,'' he said.
Of particular concern to firefighters are the lower Midlands, Derwent Valley and Coal River Valley.
BOM forecaster David James said the hot weather and northerly winds will not ease until early tomorrow.
This fire season is being described by Mr Brown as the worst the state has seen since the 1967 bushfires that killed 62 people and destroyed 1293 homes.
``We'd have to say this is the most extreme fire season we've had across the state since 1967 because of the type of weather that we've had, the amount of fuel we've got at the moment, the dryness of the conditions and experience we've had over the last few weeks [fighting fires],'' he said.
Mr Brown praised firefighters who have managed to save further property loss, but welcomed an independent review the state government promises to carry out.
``We can't pretend for a minute that we've done everything perfect and it's really important that we have an independent review of our operations, so we can take those on board and make improve into the future,'' Mr Brown said.
``Personally, I think we need to do more fuel reduction burning . . . [but] we need to have that informed opinion on the need for fuel reduction burning and have that debate in the public arena once the dust has settled and the fire season is over.''
