<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/14/tasmania-fires-destroy-huge-swath-of-wilderness-and-could-burn-for-weeks>
"Fires that have razed 90,000 hectares of Tasmanian wilderness, including 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."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
