Arabic version: الرياح تعقّد جهود الطواقم في حريق غابات نونامارا

According to ABC News, windy and shifting conditions made a bushfire at Nunamara, about 30 kilometres east of Launceston, difficult for crews to control on Monday. Tasmania Fire Service issued a Watch and Act for Patersonia Road during the afternoon, urging the community to monitor changing conditions.

The alert was downgraded to Advice level at 7:45pm, when the TFS said conditions were expected to improve and there was no immediate threat. The fire had been travelling south-east and had burned across 35 hectares by Monday evening. The service had warned that embers, smoke and ash could threaten people and homes before the main fire, while also making it difficult to see and breathe.

TFS’s Jeremy Ripper said three aircraft, 10 ground crews and a dozer were working on the blaze. He said two properties in bushland had been under threat, with ground crews carrying out asset protection. Accessibility was the biggest challenge, and the dozer was trying to establish tracks so firefighters could get closer to the fire.

Tim Lockrey, from the Nunamara Hub, said there was a lot of smoke and that he had seen embers flying earlier. He said he had sheltered a man who left his home, while the local roadhouse owner prepared 20 meals for firefighters.