Residents angry at lack of fire ban despite dire forecast
Residents east of Hobart have questioned why a total fire ban was not imposed over the weekend, after they spent the evening fearing an ember attack from a nearby blaze.
A bushfire erupted at Seven Mile Beach, about 15 kilometres east of Hobart, on Sunday amid hot and windy conditions, before being brought under control by the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) on Sunday night.
Smoke from the Seven Mile Beach bushfire, seen from Dodges Ferry, on Sunday. (ABC News: Jo Spargo)
Gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour were recorded near Hobart on Sunday, with the temperature peaking at 27.1 degrees Celsius.
The only separation between the blaze and the residential communities of Lewisham and Dodges Ferry was a body of water about 400 metres wide, with smoke billowing towards houses.
Lewisham resident Suzy Lebasi said it was "like Dante's Inferno over on the other shore" with "horrendous smoke" blowing over Dodges Ferry in particular.
"We were all on alert for a possible ember blowing and burning our houses down, so it was not a happy afternoon,"
Ms Lebasi said.
A burn-off had been registered in the area, however, the fire service has not declared the cause of the bushfire. (ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough)
Kylie Reardon, who also lives in Lewisham, said most residents in the suburbs "would have been sleeping with one eye open last night" due to the fire.
Dodges Ferry resident Steve Lord said the smoke became so strong he could not see Lewisham, while former TFS commissioner Carmel Torenius said some residents had embers "falling around their house".
Dodges Ferry resident Steve Lord says the smoke obscured Lewisham. (ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough)
The fire conditions had been forecast, with the TFS holding a press conference on Friday "strongly discouraging" residents preparing registered burns "from continuing with those activities".
The ABC has put questions to the TFS on the rules governing the declaration of a total fire ban.
The fire was still smouldering on Monday. (ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough)
Burn-off takes place despite warnings
A burn-off was registered for private land at Seven Mile Beach over the weekend, which some residents saw taking place in the two days preceding the bushfire.
The TFS is still investigating the cause of the bushfire at Seven Mile Beach.
"Fire investigators will be on scene today to start their investigations into the cause of the fire," a TFS spokesperson said.
"Fire investigations can be complex, and will take time.
"There is development occurring in the vicinity of the Seven Mile Beach fire, but it is too early to comment on the land management activities being used and whether this caused, or contributed to, the fire."
The forecast fire danger rating released on Friday showed pockets of extreme and high fire danger for Sunday. (Supplied: Tasmania Fire Service)
Ms Lebasi said she felt a total fire ban should have been imposed over the weekend, given the strong winds forecast across the area.
"The circumstances were pretty much the same as the fire … that took off and then wiped out Dunalley [in 2013] — that's what it looked like yesterday,"
she said.
Ms Reardon said that while it was still only spring, it was clear that fire preparedness conversations needed to take place "at a community level".
"People who are lighting fires on their property need to be thinking about the forecast on the day that they light it but also the days and possibly weeks after that," she said.
Improper burn-offs a 'real concern' for firefighters
TFS deputy regional chief John Holloway said about 60 fires were reported on Sunday, with a large number of them connected to burn-offs by people who "weren't prepared for the weather".
"That's a real concern for us going into the summer … you really need to be keeping an eye on the weather, keeping an eye on the warnings we're putting out," Mr Holloway said.
"They are responsible for the damage that those fires can do, so if you burn your neighbour's fence down, their house down — or worse — that's your responsibility."
He said that while there were currently no "formal permits" required for burn-offs, people still needed to pay attention to weather conditions and warnings.
Local resident and former TFS commissioner Carmel Torenius says residents need to be vigilant. (ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough)
Mr Holloway said "just one ember" could start a fire if the conditions were dry enough; however, the TFS was not expecting anything to impact the Dodges Ferry community on Monday, except smoke.
Ms Torenius said residents would have to "be vigilant" this summer, as it was already very dry across the south-east region.
Two bushfires that burned at Colebrook in the state's southern midlands on Sunday have also been brought under control.
The TFS issued a warning on Friday about the elevated fire risk expected over the weekend due to the forecast weather conditions.
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