Tasmania Fire Service deputy chief officer Bruce Byatt said the service has been gearing up for a busy week. 

On Tuesday afternoon there were 49 listed fires burning across the state, 32 of these listed as going fires. 

“We’ve had significant resources join us from interstate. We’ve had people from NSW, Victoria, South Australia and even representatives from Emergency Management Australia join us in our time of need,” Mr Byatt said.  

“We are focusing our efforts on patrolling communities, the environment and making sure the community assets and critical infrastructure assets are safe.

“The current weather conditions are likely to make matter a little more difficult for us later in the week. 

“We need all Tasmanians to be thinking about their bushfire survival plan.”

Mr Byatt said the TFS has ramped up its air assets, with NSW loaning for three days a large air tanker that is able to carry 43,000 litres. 

An additional 21 remote area firefighters will be arriving to the state Wednesday.

“It’s really about us setting triggers. When those triggers are reached, shifting our response from an offensive to a more defensive, or ready-to-roll, method of attack,” Mr Byatt said. 

“The good news is we’ve had no new starts on Tuesday.”

As of Tuesday afternoon there were emergency alerts in place for the Tahune Airwalk, Barren Tier, Tods Corner, Penstock Lagoon, Miena, Shannon and Liawenee. 

The Tahune Airwalk has been closed. 

Bureau of Meteorology state manager Simon McCulloch said Friday is shaping up to be a bad day. 

“The timing will be critical. If the front goes through in the morning south-eastern Tasmania might see temperatures in the high 20s or low 30s. If it doesn’t go through until the afternoon mid-to-high 30s are a potential,” Mr McCulloch said. 

“Friday will be the worst day of the season, given the fire in the landscape already adds to it.” 

The TFS has a smoke alert in place for the greater Hobart, Huon Valley and Geeveston areas. 

Public health director Mark Veitch said most people are able to tolerate small periods of smoky conditions. 

“Some people are more affected by smoke, or more at risk of being affected by smoke, than others. That is vulnerable such as the elderly, the very young, people with medical conditions such as aesthete, heart or lung disease and pregnant women,” Mr Veitch said. 

Mr Veitch said people can minimise their expose to smoke by staying indoors with the windows and doors closed, if they have air conditioning switch it to recycled, avoid rigorous outdoor activity and if they are affected spend some time away from home in an area not impacted by smoke. 

“We have been in contact with health services and general practitioners around the Huon Valley today, and they do report that they’ve seen a slight increase in people with mostly minor respiratory illnesses and an increase in demand of pharmacies to get Ventolin puffers for asthma,” Mr Veitch said. 

Parks and Wildlife Service director of operations Mark Bryce said as a result of the changing fire conditions additional track closures have been put in place. 

“We expect that they may be additional closures over the next few days,” Mr Bryce said. 

“PWS is asking that people put off extended trips into remote areas over the long weekend. 

“With the potential for fire spotting and new starts it will actually limit the number of people in remote areas and minimise the effort involved in evacuating people.”

While Friday poses concern of high fire danger for much of state, Tuesday is a “real challenging day” for firefighters working on the west coast. 

Tasmania Fire Service north-west chief Shane Batt said Tuesday is the warmest day seen for a while.  

Severe fire dangers are expected in southern and eastern Tasmania on Friday. 

Temperature predictions for the north-west and west coast have been downgraded, Mr Batt said. 

“It peaks again on Saturday for the north-west and west coast.” 

Mr Batt said all the fires on the west coast are contained to their natural boundaries. 

“If we are able to contain them today, I will be comfortable,” Mr Batt said. 

“Our resources are currently stretched to the limit.”

The west coast is supporting the statewide firefighting effort, with 28 volunteers and 11 vehicles sent to support the fire activity at Miena in the Central Plateau. 

The Great Pine Tier Fire has grown to approximately 10,000 hectares and around 30 – 40 Miena residents have been evacuated. 

Miena geologist Bronwyn Turner is more concerned about fire destroying unique plants in the World Heritage Area than the threat to her home.

“I don't want the Western lakes to burn. The World Heritage area - we've got that in our backyard so it’s very special and not every species of plant in Tasmania responds to fire.

“I've been out to those areas and I don't want them gone.

“Houses can be replaced, but our wilderness needs to be protected.”

Ms Turner is no stranger to losing her home to fire. She bought her first home in Miena in 1998, but it burnt down in a house fire in 2003. She decided to rebuild, and designed her ‘dream home’, which sits near the lakefront on Thiessen Crescent.

“All we can do is wait and hope that everything will be okay.

“There's nothing else we can do; it's the waiting game,” she said.

Ms Turner said the community was alerted to the possibility of evacuation last week, then the order came through on Monday, so she packed up some precious personal things and took her eight-year-old son Oliva to a friend’s place at Shannon Lagoon.

“We've had plenty of warning this time. But Miena was put onto the watch and alert last Friday night so the first thing I did Saturday morning was pack photo albums, grabbed paperwork.  

“Lots of little things - something my Nana had given me, a couple of Aboriginal prints I knew I could never replace, my little boy’s baby clothes.”

She headed east after the Tasmania Fire Service recommended Poatina Road or Bothwell, but stopped with a good friend at Shannon Lagoon.

“We knew we had a bed down here to come to. 

“We’ve come down here and one of our neighbours has come with us and our other neighbour’s dog Misty is with us because his owner is one of the volunteer firefighters.”

Shortly after talking to The Advocate, Ms Turner and her friends were advised by the Tasmania Fire Service to evacuate Shannon Lagoon and head for Poatina or Bothwell.

Great Lake shack owner Ron Camm evacuated and spent Monday night near the evacuation centre at Great Lake but returned to his property Tuesday morning when the TFS downgraded the fire alert at Miena to watch and act. 

Mr Camm, from Melbourne who has owned a shack in Miena for 20 years, said he had a plan to evacuate when necessary. 

“We’re here, but we’re all ready to go,” Mr Camm said. 

Mr Camm said he’s not panicked, but not comfortable either, as firefighters battle the nearby blaze. 

The TFS is currently tackling the Miena blaze with a the help of a large air tanker, known as a Hercules. 

“They’re water bombing the hell out of it with the Hercules,” Mr Camm said. 

Great Lake Hotel Owner Kaylee Hattinger praised the effort of the TFS and volunteer firefighters from across the state. 

“There’s no sense of panic in the community at all,” Ms Hattinger said. 

Prior to Miena being evacuated on Monday, Ms Hattinger said she was preparing 100 packed lunches and dinner for about 140 firefighters with locals dropping in desserts such as apple crumbles, so the firefighters had something sweet. 

Labor member for Lyons Jen Butler has praised the true Tasmanian spirit on show as locals rally for communities affected by fire. 

“It’s a confronting and frightening time for many Tasmanians,” Minister Butler said. 

“The Bothwell community have opened their homes to 21 Miena residents who had to leave their communities so far.” 

Premier Will Hodgman said the response to the fires so far as been exceptional. 

“I want to acknowledge the extraordinarily efforts of our fire service and Parks and Wildlife Service who are activity fighting fires across our state,” Premier Hodgman said. 

“There are a lot people out fighting these fire and do so to keep communities safe, not only career firefighters but volunteers, and we thank them for their efforts.”