While the north of Australia is being flooded the Southern Island of Tasmania is raked with numerous fires across the state. As of 28 January, six emergency warnings are still in place for towns in the way of fires and evacuation centres are being set up for those whose homes are under threat. Five hundred firefighters are working around the clock to contain scores of blazes ravaging the island state before the weather heats up.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning next Wednesday will be another high-temperature day in the southern state with little rain in sight. Community meetings will be held in Zeehan, Rosebery, Bothwell, Miena and Maydena on Sunday, before a broader public update on the fires later in the afternoon.
Communities near bushfires are encouraged to remain alert and keep proactively checking for updates on the conditions from the state’s fire service. “The key thing we need people to be aware of is even though conditions are milder today, this could be regarded as the ‘eye of the storm’,” Tasmania Fire Service Deputy Chief Officer Bruce Byatt said on Saturday.
