Around 90,000 hectares of remote country in the state’s north-west have been razed after fires sparked by lightning strikes. Fires that have razed 90,000 hectares of remote Tasmanian wilderness, including world-heritage listed areas and parts of the famous Overland walking track, could burn for weeks as firefighters battle to contain blazes in remote terrain. By late on Friday, more than 20 fires – which were sparked by dry lightning strikes on 3 February – had a combined perimeter of about 1,200km in the state’s north-west.
Towns and coastal shack communities including Zeehan, Corinna and Pieman Heads came under threat on Thursday night, prompting some people to evacuate. With the weekend expected to bring wind gusts of up to 80kmh, authorities said it would take “many days, if not weeks” to bring them under control. Jeremy Smith, Tasmania’s commissioner for fire and emergency services, said containing the blazes would be a “long hard slog” requiring crews to go “metre-by-metre across the fire ground … These fires will take a long time to control, and ensure that they are extinguished”.
The fires follow similar outbreaks in the state’s wilderness area over the past decade as lightning strikes combined with heat and wind to create hazardous conditions. In 2018-2019 fires burned 2.9% of the state, killing nearly two-thirds of its tallest known trees. Scientists say damage from fires caused by lightning strikes has increased dramatically since the start of the millennium, and is expected to continue to worsen as summers became hotter and drier.
About 90% of the land affected in the current fires was in national park or wilderness reserves, but firefighters managed to protect a treasured grove of Huon pine trees estimated to be thousands of years old. Brendon Clark, a liaison officer with Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife, said the stand of ancient trees, located in a natural refuge, was believed to be “still intact”. The Overland Track, the famous hiking trail which traverses the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair national park, suffered extensive damage. Authorities said the ongoing fires and repairs to infrastructure would prolong the track’s closure.
Aerial observations confirmed a privately owned hut on the track had been destroyed. An 8m-long steel truss bridge and 860m of boardwalk were also badly damaged. The hut remained the only recorded loss of property by Friday afternoon. Clark said several Indigenous heritage sites in the Arthur-Pieman conservation area may have been affected and people should be prepared for the possibility they could be badly damaged.
A thick plume of smoke that was visible from space enveloped communities near the fire, including Zeehan, Granville Harbour and Corinna. Ali Collier, who runs the Zeehan Bush Camp, said the town became “very, very dark and smoky” on Thursday afternoon. When authorities warned residents an unpredictable and fast-moving fire was headed towards Zeehan, Collier evacuated with her two children to nearby Strahan. Others from the town headed to nearby Queenstown. They began to return on Friday, but Collier said people remained “on edge”.
She said the fires had arrived amid peak tourism season and cancellations were already hurting the community. While many locals left town, the Zeehan hardware store remained open. The owner, Don Edmonston, sold hoses to those preparing to stay behind. He said the town of about 700 people was unusually quiet on Friday, but people were starting to trickle back in as the immediate threat passed. Rain on Thursday night had cooled things down temporarily, he said, but residents remained alert to potential wind changes.
Preparing for the long haul, authorities established a basecamp and temporary accommodation for 100 personnel in the tiny village of Tullah – population 202 – tucked between Lake Rosebery and Mount Farrell. Fatigued fire fighters welcomed the arrival of remote area specialists from interstate, including about 30 aircraft. Additional crews from interstate and New Zealand were expected on Monday.
