00:00At the Sports Oval in Tulla, on Tasmania's west coast, an interstate team is setting
00:08up a base camp that can cater for more than 100 firefighters.
00:12We're a mini city on wheels, our aim is not to impose on the local town or the local area.
00:18The fires have been burning for more than 10 days and with temperatures exceeding 30
00:23degrees, and winds hitting 90km an hour on Thursday, the risk level is rising.
00:30This is a dynamic situation and we have another 12 hours of extremely difficult firefighting
00:34conditions.
00:36At the remote coastal community of Pyman Heads, residents prepared for the worst as flames
00:42got to within 900 metres of their shacks.
00:44We're safe, we're all good and we're safe, we're all prepared, ready to go if we have
00:51embers fall.
00:52The fires have burned through more than 70,000 hectares.
00:56With confirmation, one of the privately operated huts on the overland track has been destroyed.
01:02It's quite stressful, not just the hut of course, but the impact on the general environment.
01:07It's a very special place so it affects us all, yeah.
01:10Almost a kilometre of boardwalk, as well as a bridge on the popular hiking trail, have
01:15also been severely damaged.
01:18It will obviously need to be either repaired or replaced, so that may prolong the duration
01:25of the closure of the overland track.
01:27The fires have also put other major assets at risk, with emergency management protocols
01:33enacted at the Rees Power Station and the Renison Bell Mine.
01:38Emergency assistance grants have been activated for affected communities here on the west
01:43coast, with financial support of $250 per adult and $125 per child now available.
01:52These are to support people affected with matters such as food, clothing, shelter and
02:00other essential daily needs.
02:02A westerly front is expected to sweep across the state this evening, bringing much colder
02:07conditions and about 5-15mm of rain on Saturday, not enough to douse the flames.
02:14We aren't really seeing any sign of big, meaningful rain for the west for the coming week or maybe
02:21even two weeks.
02:22Meaning the west coast will remain on high alert for many days to come.
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