2013 Tasmanian bushfires

[9][10] Another major fire in the central lakes region (Interlaken Rd, Steppes) was originally reported on 18 December 2012 and was still burning in mid January.

During 3 and 4 January 2013, most of the southern and eastern portion of the Australian continent experienced a heat wave[12] (nicknamed the Angry Summer) which caused a number of fires to spread across the country.

[21] Communities on the Tasman and Forestier peninsulas in south-east Tasmania were forced to flee fires coming down from the north, engulfing the only road out of the area and destroying much of Dunalley.

More than 2,000 people were ferried to safety by police, commercial vessel operators and private volunteers, and another 2,000 took refuge at a community centre at Nubeena.

[29] Due to the rugged nature of the terrain, water-bombing helicopters were used extensively, despite significant dangers posed by high-power transmission lines and smoke.

[38] On 13 January, a Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment firefighter, Peter Cramer, 61, died of natural causes while carrying out a reconnaissance on the southern edge of the Forcett fire near the hamlet of Taranna.

[5] On 6 January, the Minister for Emergency Management Nicola Roxon announced that the Australian Government would grant A$1,000 to Tasmanians affected by the bushfire.

The message was passed on by Tasmanian Governor Peter Underwood, and read;[42] I would like to convey my deep concern for all those who have been affected by the devastating bushfires that have caused widespread destruction across Tasmania.

I send my sympathy to those people who have lost their homes or livelihoods in the fires, and offer my support and admiration for the firefighters, volunteers and emergency services officers who have been working tirelessly to contain the situation.The Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, The Most Reverend Adrian Doyle, received a message from Pope Benedict XVI saying that the Pope was saddened about the widespread destruction and thanking firefighters and emergency workers.

Bushfire in the Lake Repulse/Meadowbank area
Sunset over Huon Valley , seen through thick smoke during the Tasmanian bushfires on 6 January