Fires have broken containment lines in several locations in Tasmania, and authorities are warning residents now is not the time to become complacent.

Key points: Emergency warnings issued as fires break lines and winds rise

Emergency warnings issued as fires break lines and winds rise Maydena residents are warned to stay aware as a blaze moves towards the township

Maydena residents are warned to stay aware as a blaze moves towards the township There were more than 21 fires burning uncontained in Tasmania

The bushfires, some of which have been going since before Christmas, have burned more than 190,000 hectares so far, and the Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) said they could pose a "major threat to life and properties for the foreseeable future".

At 7:28pm there was one emergency warning for the Riveaux Road Fire south of Hobart, which was threatening the communities of Waterloo, Surges Bay, Brooks Bay, Glendevie, and Police Point.

And there were four emergency warnings for the Great Pine Tier fire on the Central Plateau for Liawenee, Steppes and surrounds, Reynolds Neck, Brown March, Moon Marsh, and London Lakes.

There were more than 21 fires burning uncontained in Tasmania, with 12 communities under watch and act alerts and a further 18 at advice level.

The cold front has taken longer to move across the state than expected, which will keep the fire danger elevated well into the night in the north-east of the state.

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Fires are burning in the Huon Valley south of Hobart, the Great Pine Tier in the Central Plateau, as well as in the south-west, and the TFS expects some property loss.

The TFS's John Holloway said emergency warnings were issued for communities affected by the Riveaux River after there was an increase in fire intensity and spot fires.

He said pressure in the Denison Road area was building, with some spot fires amid the increased fire activity.

"In general with the entire fire there we're seeing quite a bit of increased activity on the entire fire line," he said.

By late Sunday afternoon, the Riveaux Road fire broke out into the Waterloo area.

Mr Holloway said a lot more resources were being moved to the Liawenee line of the Great Pine Tier fire in central Tasmania, where there was a lot more pressure on Sunday afternoon.

He said the good news was there was less pressure on the southern edge of that fire.

At the third main fire area of concern, the Gell River fire in the south-west, Mr Holloway said there was a lot of increased activity in the south-east corner, which was the corner threatening Maydena.

Residents in Dickensons Road, Glen Huon have been living with bushfires for the past week. ( Supplied: Jennifer Nixon )

Mr Holloway said the Brittons Swamp fire had also been upgraded to an emergency warning at Brittons Swamp at one stage on Sunday.

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"That's definitely a very dynamic fire at the moment because of the wind," he said.

Late in the afternoon, the fire at Brittons Swamp was burning in paddocks and farmland, resulting in a fast-moving grass fire that was difficult to control.

Smoke is likely to impact areas between Devonport and Smithton.

Firefighting plans for the rest of Sunday were to hold containment lines, with the hope that predicted late rainfall that may come with the cool change overnight helps efforts.

Mr Holloway said he did not expect the cool change to come through until later on Sunday.

"So we're looking at that [change] coming through in the late evening, which means we're probably going to get the warmer weather, and the north-westerly winds bringing that warm weather for a lot longer today than we thought," he said.

"That's going to continue to put a bit of pressure on our control lines."

Fire crews are expected to be on the ground for longer than expected, with fatigue a major issue of concern.

The TFS said hot north-westerly winds with peak gusts of up 70 kilometres per hour had been testing fire containment lines secured on Saturday

This firefighter is keeping an eye on a fire outbreak outside Geeveston. ( ABC News: Janek Frankowski )

Tasmania Fire Service expected another day of testing conditions. ( ABC News: Tony King )

Small business to get fire assistance

Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman praised those helping in the state's bushfire effort as "extraordinary" and urged those in affected areas to seek out help if it was needed.

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"Now is the time to be very alert and never be complacent about the threat, which is real," he said.

"I also want to take the opportunity to thank the volunteers and those who are on the fire front."

In response to Labor calling for an inquiry into the firefighting efforts, Mr Hodgman said discussion right now only would cause stress.

"Once the crisis is past, all the operations will be reviewed," he said.

"For anyone to be calling at this point in time, when the fire threat remains very real, for reviews and inquiries is only calling into question the extraordinary work being done by our firefighters."

Federal Assistant Minister for Home Affairs senator Linda Reynolds announced a round of emergency financial support for small businesses while touring the Huonville evacuation centre with Mr Hodgman on Sunday.

"Those individuals here in the local communities who have been impacted, through their work, they can't get to work, they're a farmer whose had sustained damaged and their income is suffering, or sole traders or businesses who have been impacted," she said.

The total area of fire edge has grown to more than 1,600 kilometres with no sign of shrinking any time soon

Geeveston resident Marta Ng lives with her dog, Molly, on Donnelly's Road only 200 metres from where a shed burned down last week. ( Supplied: Marta Ng )

Back-burns were conducted on Thursday night to try to secure the Great Lakes Hotel and Miena township. ( Supplied: Claude Road Fire Brigade )

The Gell River fire has been burning for more than a month. ( Supplied: Teagan Fone-Stephenson )

'Tens of thousands' of animals dead

Local businesses in the state's fire zones are feeling the pinch due to a drop in tourist numbers and traffic.

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The fire threatening communities in the Huon Valley has left many business owners deflated.

The owner of the Huon Valley Caravan Park, Rowen Carter, said they had been forced to put off five part-time workers as they grappled with a lack of visitors.

"They're not coming, everybody has evacuated the area and it's actually really devastating," he said.

"You can still come here and it's quite safe and the sooner you get back here the sooner businesses can start recovering."

The fire crisis is also taking its toll on the natural world, with massive numbers of native wildlife being killed.

Hobart wildlife carer Teena Hanslow said many animals will have to be euthanised.

"The animals are thirsty, they're hungry, they're coming into the suburbs and so we're losing them every night to that let — alone the fires," she said.

Greg Irons from Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary estimated that tens of thousands of animals had perished.

"This is devastating, we're not talking tens or hundreds, we are talking thousands upon thousands of animals that won't only be maimed or killed or injured but animals that have lost their homes," he said

Wildlife carer Teena Hanslow said the bushfires are taking their toll on Tasmania's wildlife. ( ABC News: Ainsley Koch )

"A lot of these animals have evolved to live in a certain area and they live alongside other species strategically and successfully over thousands upon thousands of years so something catastrophic like this, that just changes everything in a heartbeat."