Parts of Tasmania are bracing for a high fire danger on Saturday.
Under the Tasmania Fire Service’s recently-adopted new rating system, that means there’s a heightened risk of potentially life-threatening blazes breaking out; avoiding at-risk areas altogether is considered the safest option.
For Saturday those areas include the Derwent Valley, where a blistering top of 35 is forecast for New Norfolk, as well as parts of the West and North West Coast, west and south of Rocky Cape.
George Town and areas just to its east are also in line for high fire danger.
The TFS has a hot day response protocol in place over the weekend, doubling the brigade response to any fires and putting a hold on permits for the time being.
“We will also have aircraft and incident management teams on standby to deal with any new fires that start,” said Deputy Chief Officer Bruce Byatt.
“While TFS has these measures in place, we also ask community members to take responsibility for keeping themselves and their neighbours safe.
“This responsibility extends to ensuring that any fires that have been lit in recent days and weeks are extinguished prior to the weekend to ensure they don’t flare up and escape.”
Authorities have also issued a reminder to take care with slashers after their involvement in a number of recent fires.
