Tasmania fires update

The major fires in south-east Tasmania, which began last Friday, continue to burn fanned by relentless hot and windy weather. WICEN Tasmania (South) Secretary, Roger Nichols VK7ARN said operators were at the Incident Management Team headquarters coordinating the fires on the Tasman Peninsula and in the Derwent Valley.

There they helped to run the Tasmanian Fire Service communications using its 80MHz system, a communications role in which they are trained. Roger VK7ARN said there had been power and communications outages caused by the blazes. Crews are working in safe areas to restore power and communications, although he said WICEN had offered to link the Eaglehawk Neck and Port Arthur areas.

A search for possible victims has already involved 250 properties. More than 100 proerties, including houses and a school, have been destroyed. Access to the wild fire affected areas continues to be restricted, as more hot and windy days are forecast with the major fires out of control. Victorian firefighters are now in Tasmania to help with the fires.

(Jim Linton VK3PC, Chair of the IARU Region 3, Disaster Communications Committee)

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