Weather changes overnight will put more communities in the
line of bushfire, the state's fire authorities says.
Winds gusting to 100kmh whipped up the two largest blazes
that had started on Thursday; at Forcett, near Dunalley in
the state's south, and Lake Repulse near Mt Field National
Park northwest of Hobart.
A Tasmania Fire Service incident management team spokeswoman
said a predicted weather change overnight will affect the
Lawrenny and Hamilton communities to the east of the Derwent
River.
The communities are expected to be directly impacted by about
6am today (local time) by embers, spotfires and potentially a
fire front.
"Communities have been asked to enact their bushfire plans
now," the spokeswoman said.
"If their plan was to leave or if they don't have a plan,
that they need to leave and go to a friend's or relative's
place or the community fire refuge."
Meanwhile winds are pushing the other large bushfire at
Forcett, in an easterly direction, impacting the communities
of Bream Creek, Copping and Boomer Bay.
"They've been asked to go to their nearby safer place which
has been identified as the Falls festival site at Marion Bay,
only if the path is clear, though," the spokeswoman said.
"It's severely impacted on Dunalley already.
"You can imagine that the same thing could possibly happen in
other communities. We don't want to underestimate this fire."
Meanwhile Tasmanian police are investigating reports of a
death in the Forcett fire, that also destroyed homes, and
damaged a school and an RSL club.
Police say up to 65 buildings could have been damaged or
destroyed in the small community of Dunalley, 55 kilometres
southeast of Hobart.
People had also been told to leave the beachside town of
Dodges Ferry.
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