Police in Tasmania are attempting to locate up to 100 people that are still unaccounted for in areas that have burned in the bushfires on the island south of Australia. The largest, the Inala Road Fire, is burning about 32 Kilometers (20 miles) east of Hobart on the Tasman Peninsula and in or near the communities ofTaranna, Lewisham,Dunalley, Copping, Forcett, Connellys Marsh, Dodges Ferry, Eaglehawk Neck, Primrose Sands,Murdunna,Boomers Bay,Bream Creek and Sommers Bay.
Many tourists were stranded on the Tasman Peninsula, unable to return home due to closed roads. Commercial and private vessels transported about 2,500 of them back to the mainland while an estimated 2,000 are being housed at the Nubeena Refuge Centre, about 600 at Port Arthur and another 100 at the Dunalley Hotel.
Approximately 100 structures have burned in the fires which are still burning out of control. No deaths have been confirmed, but Tasmania Police are conducting house to house searches.
The Inala Road fire has burned 19,214 hectares (47,478 acres). The Dawson Road Lake Repulse fire, about 48 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Hobart, has blackened 9,895 hectares (24,451 acres). Firefighters from other Australian states have been arriving to help fight four fires have burned a total of about 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres).
Warwick Hughes contacted us to let us know he has been writing about the fires on his web site. He posted a link showing a recording of smoke showing up in weather radar (screen capture is below), as well as some weather data recorded in the community of Dunalley where many homes burned. The weather station showed a high temperature of 54.9C (131F) at 4:22 p.m. on January 4, which was undoubtedly affected by heat from the fire.
Thanks go out to Dick, Kelly, and Warwick.
