Personnel, including some from interstate and New Zealand, are trying to keep communities safe and tackle about 50 fires still raging

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Scores of Tasmanian residents were told to brace to defend their homes against uncontrolled fires or leave as blazes raged across the state on Sunday.

The Great Pine Tier fire has burned about 40,000 hectares, with the eastern edge of Lake Echo, south of Shannon, Waddamana, Synots Sugarloaf and Bashan Plains issuing the highest warning alert on Sunday afternoon.

Another fire raging out of control at Riveaux Road, Southwest also forced an emergency warning alert for Lonnavale, Glen Huon, Judbury and Bermuda Road.

The Tasmanian Fire Service was urging locals to leave their homes, or prepare to actively defend if they were able and want to stay as per their bushfire plans.

Evacuation centres have been set up and safer places have been flagged for locals who have a clear path to leave, and community meetings are being held across the day.

About 500 firefighters, including some from interstate and New Zealand, were trying to keep threatened communities safe and tackle about 50 fires still raging.

Bushfires still rage in Tasmania, but cool change brings some relief Read more

Blazes have burned through 99,000 hectares of land across the past month and destroyed a homestead, a shed and a fishing hut.

The service’s deputy chief officer, Bruce Byatt, on Saturday warned the milder conditions could be regarded as the “eye of the storm”.

There was also some bitter news with a fire reportedly started on Saturday from a discarded cigarette butt in the Fortescue Bay Road area, Byatt added.

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning next Wednesday will be another high-temperature day in the southern state with little rain in sight.

Quick guide Heatwaves and climate change in Australia Show Hide According to the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO, Australia has warmed by 1C since 1910, and temperatures will increase in the future. So how will climate change affect future heatwaves in Australia? The CSIRO and BoM have compiled different models for predicting the outcome of climate change in Australia to produce a guide to how different regions will likely be affected. They found that every part of Australia will continue to experience increases in average temperature, and will have a higher frequency of hot days.

The duration of hot spells will increase in every region. In many areas in the northern half of Australia, the average number of days above 35C could increase by two to three times.

Late in the century, towns such as Darwin, Alice Springs and Broome may experience days with temperatures above 35C for about a third of the year. These higher temperatures will also result in higher evaporation, which will continue to make drought conditions worse.

A protection plan for the Walls of Jerusalem national park had been enacted and remote area teams moved into the area.

The federal Liberal MP, Dan Tehan, said on Sunday his thoughts were with those battling the blazes, having had first-hand experience as a Victorian Country Fire Authority member.

He added the prime minister, Scott Morrison, would visit the island state when “it is deemed appropriate”.

Residents needed to remain alert and check for updates on the fire conditions from the state’s fire service.