There are a lot of bushfires around Tasmania at present. It’s been dry and vegetation fires are common in summer.

Last week we had a huge thunderstorm and many fires were started by lightning strikes. Many are in remote areas of forest and firefighters both local and visiting ones from interstate and from New Zealand have been doing their best to control them.

Over the last couple of days it’s been hot and windy and two fires, in particular, have become more serious, one of them is in an area called Tahune which a forest area and is 30 kilometres or so from Geeveston. We have been getting a lot of smoke and today ash falling over the town.

This afternoon some friends who live up the Arve Road which leads to the Tahune Airwalk decided to leave, mainly because the air quality is so bad. This is how the sky looked at my place at around 4pm. I took this from inside.

I’ve been living here for 16 years now and I can say that without a doubt these are the worst conditions that I have seen around here.

Hot weather is forecast for most of this week so I don’t see this improving soon.

I am fine. My house is on the Hobart side of town, it’s just unpleasant and a bit scary.