BRIDPORT residents were put on high alert as a dense fuel load and strong westerly winds stoked a scrub fire along Sandy Points Road on Sunday night.
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The number of Tasmania Fire Service crews on the scene was reduced from 17 to eight yesterday as firefighters continued to monitor the 20-hectare blaze.
Walter Street home owners were asked to enforce their Watch and Act plans about 8pm, but acting North-East district officer Brett Frazackerley said no properties were under direct threat.
Resident Jess Burke said Parks and Wildlife had been asked several times to reduce the area's fuel load.
"We were up on our roof and pretty well half the town was up there pretty well straight away helping each other out," she said.
"People were sharing ladders and hoses blocking our drains and filling them up with water.
"We couldn't see the flames, you could just hear the roaring and see the red glow.
"We were pretty worried when they came and told us we may have to be evacuated."
Mr Frazackerley said Bridport Golf Club fairways helped contain the blaze and that crews gained control about 11pm, and by 1am yesterday had started back-burning.
"It's fairly dense coastal scrub so it was a fairly high fuel load with wind speeds at 56km/h with gusts much higher than that," Mr Frazackerley said.
"So with that fuel load under those wind conditions it certainly went up and put a lot of smoke, embers and flames in the air, and that has caused some distress.
"We put a watch and act out for a short period of time so people were preparing for ember attacks if they were to occur."