THE cause of the out-of-control bushfire that threatened homes on St Helens Road at St Helens yesterday remained a mystery last night, with police to continue investigations today.
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A cluster of wild spot fires were blown into the direction of houses on St Helens Point Road just after 12.30pm.
The swift action of crews from across the state was hailed by local emergency workers and residents, who were evacuated to a nearby boat ramp for seven hours while the incident unfolded.
Readers' video sent in by Sam Terry.
About four square kilometres of bushland was lost.
Commanding fire officer and St Helens resident John Le Fevre said: ‘‘We got a phone call today saying it was getting closer to the houses.
‘‘That’s when we got crews out here, but we got a wind change coming northerly.
‘‘We got wind coming in easterly as well. There were two houses on fire but we put both of those out and we lost an outhouse.
‘‘Whatever was beside those houses burnt down.’’
Mr Le Fevre praised his fellow firefighters for their bravery, but said the cause of the fire remained a mystery.
‘‘The crews did a good job. Otherwise we would have lost a few houses,’’ he said.
‘‘The fire started yesterday [Saturday] up in the bush, but we don’t know how it started.’’
Tasmania Police North-East division inspector John King would not speculate on whether the blaze had been deliberately lit.
‘‘Tasmania Police will be assisting the Tasmanian Fire Service with the investigation,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m unsure of the exact cause at this stage.’’
Tennis balls in gutters and rooftop sprinklers were among the items used by residents to repel the flames.
The region had received about 11 millimetres of rain by 9.30pm yesterday.
■ Fire crews were kept busy with a number of small vegetation blazes throughout the North. Investigators will revisit a fire on Illawarra Road, Carrick, this morning. The blaze started about 3.40pm and was under control by 6pm. Rain assisted the two crews in their efforts to battle the fire near the Bass Highway. At 4.30pm two crews attended a small fire at Pipers River. The fire was believed to have escaped from a burnoff. Three crews were called to a fire on Heald Road, Travellers Rest, about 5.20pm. The hot spots were extinguished and the area deemed safe by 8pm. A small fire at Ravenswood was extinguished early in the evening.
