No fires may be lit in the open air until Monday January 28 at 2 am. 

TFS deputy chief officer Bruce Byatt said the service took advantage of cooler weather Wednesday in anticipation of a return to challenging conditions over the next few days. 

“We’re preparing our crews for these conditions, including prioritising where fire trucks and aircraft will be working with our priorities being to protect life, communities and infrastructure,” Mr Byatt said. 

“With multiple bushfires currently burning across our state it is critical that the community abide by the Total Fire Ban that will be in place from 2 am Thursday.

“That total fire ban applies to the entire state. This means all outdoor fires, barbecues and portable stoves using wood, charcoal or other solid or liquid fuel are banned.”

Mr Byatt said any new fires that do start will put communities at risk. 

“New fires in the landscape on top of what we are dealing with now will push us to the limit,” Mr Byatt said.

“Conditions predicted for Friday will see fast moving and uncontrollable fires.

“We expect that many fires we have successfully contained will break their containment lines on Friday if the predicted weather conditions eventuate.

“While we want everyone to enjoy their weekend, we would ask people to reconsider holidaying in bush or remote locations.” 

There are currently 46 listed fires across the state, 27 of those that are going fires. 

A total of 55,000 hectares have been burnt since late December when the Gell River fire started as the result of a lightning strike. 

21 New Zealand firefighters arrived to Hobart on Wednesday evening to assist the current firefighting effort. 

The TFS has confirmed one property was destroyed by the bushfire at Miena on Tuesday evening. 

A house at Skittle Ball Plains was lost to fire on Tuesday night as the result of an ember attack. 

The owners had a plan to defend their property with the assistance of fire crews. 

They had a clear space around their property and sprinklers on the roof, however when bushfire conditions became untenable it was required that everyone evacuate and everyone involved is safe. 

“If you decide to stay and defend your property, make sure you are both physically and mentally prepared to do it,” Mr Byatt said. 

“The house lost in Miena is a house we thought defendable but it was lost due to an ember attack.”

Alert levels on the Central Plateau have been downgraded but further difficult conditions are expected. 

Those evacuated to Bothwell have discussed their experiences of the past two days, after being told by emergency services to pack up what they can and leave Miena.

Ron Brown, while a Victorian-native, has spent eight months every year for 18 years fly-fishing in the area.

Members of his family from Geelong were visiting on holidays when they were told to evacuate.

“First things I grabbed were four bottles of whiskey, my laptop computer, the kids, the wife and my son,” Mr Brown said.

“From the warning, we left in ten minutes of the evacuation order. 

“We know a few volunteer firemen and they’ve been giving us advice as well, we just decided that the best thing to do was clear the decks and let them get on with it.”

Mr Brown initially thought that the fires would not come down to Miena.

“It appeared that the fire wasn’t going to be any real danger to Miena,” he said. 

“But the wind has caused havoc up there and nobody knows what is happening.”

While Mr Brown said the fire hadn’t reached his shack yet, a change in the wind to a south-westerly direction would be big trouble.

“It’s felt like a second home, if it went up in flames I’ve lost a lot,” he said.

Michael Walls and Cliff Leggoe are both residents of Lochiel Drive in Miena.

They had just purchased water pumps in Launceston when upon their return they were told to evacuate their homes.

“My first reaction was shock, when you’ve got to leave your home you feel very vulnerable,” Mr Walls said. 

“You can’t really put your life in a car really so we just the got photos and personal documents.”

Mr Walls said he and Mr Leggoe had 30 minutes to make sure their homes were as fire-proof as possible.

“We disconnected all the gas bottles and cleaned up all the brush and everything,” Mr Walls said.

“It’s been quite stressful, Friday’s looking to be a bad day.”

Mr Leggoe, who had lived in Miena for 25 years, said he’d never seen a fire this big in the area before.

Mr Wall said that because there hadn’t been a fire in the area for a long time, the community was less prepared than they could have been.

“We should have been better prepared with things like better fire pumps and have maybe a water tank,” he said.

Mr Brown said he planned to drop off his family at the airport before going fishing with fellow evacuees on the coast.

“I’ll stay and see how the fire goes so I can assess how my shack has gone,” he said.

“The bodies are out so what happens, happens.”

The Bureau of Meteorology said after a cooler day across the state Wednesday, conditions are expected to warm up again during Thursday to mid to high 20s across much of Tasmania, reaching low 30s inland in the south-east. 

A mild night is expected Thursday night before temperatures peak on Friday, reaching high 20s to low 30s across much of the state, and up to mid to high 30s about the south-east. 

Strong and gusty northwesterly winds are expected to develop on Friday which, combined with hot temperatures, will see Very High to Severe Fire Dangers develop about southern, central and eastern parts of Tasmania. 

A cold front is expected late Friday, with westerly winds and cooler temperatures expected for the weekend. 

Bureau of Meteorology state manager Simon McCulloch said Friday looks like the worst day that we’ve seen this summer season. 

“The preview of Hobart temperature is 37 for Friday and its likely parts of the south-east will be close to 40,” Mr McCulloch said. 

“There is definitely a risk of some dry thunderstorms. It’s very hard to say exactly where those thunderstorms will be but we’re very confident that somewhere over Tasmania we will see dry lightning during Friday.

“In the environment that we are in at the moment, with lots of fire activity already, that just adds into the mix.”

Tasmania Police have put in place a Hot Day Response for Friday as the result of the high fire danger across the state. 

Tasmania Police assistant commissioner Richard Cowling said the current conditions required a heightened level of readiness and preparation and the high fire danger day on Friday necessitated a Hot Day Response declaration. 

“As part of the Hot Day Response, Tasmania Police will support the TFS on Friday with the implementation of a number of proactive strategies to reduce the risk of a deliberately lit fire, particularly in high-risk areas,” Assistant Commissioner Cowling said. 

“These will include high visibility patrols around areas of bush/urban interface and potential high fire risk such as camping sites and popular recreation areas.

“Police and the community have an important role to play in the prevention of deliberately lit bushfires.”

Assistant Commissioner Cowling said he was happy to report there has only been one offence detected during the fire ban thus far. 

Visitors to the state needing to change their plans over the next few days due to the fire conditions are encourage to visit or contact a Visitor Information Centre for assistance. 

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said it is a busy time of year with lots of visitors to the state. 

“If conditions worsen over the next few days we need measures in place now to assist our guests,” Mr Martin said. 

“If the decision is made to further close national parks, tracks and camp grounds, there will obviously be a lot of campers and walkers who will need alternative accommodation arrangements. 

“There are visitors who had planned to travel within fire affected areas, and now need to make alternative arrangements.” 

Mr Martin said accommodation operators have offered to assist by welcoming visitors whose plans have been affected by bushfires into their businesses. 

“We will start distributing this information to all Visitor Information Centres and Parks Visitor Centres across the state on Wednesday morning, and continue to keep it updated over the next few days,” Mr Martin said.

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