Thousands of dry lightning strikes have sparked scores of fires across Tasmania, leading to helicopter evacuations of bushwalkers and prompting local authorities to seek interstate help to battle the blazes.
A large uncontrolled bushfire in central Tasmania is threatening communities where residents have been urged to leave.
The blaze in the Great Pine Tier region is "highly active and unpredictable" and moving towards the communities of Fergus Lake and Little Pine Lagoon, the Tasmania Fire Service warned on Wednesday.
"Communities and some property is in proximity to those fires," deputy chief officer Bruce Byatt told reporters.
The Bureau of Meteorology said about 5500 lightning strikes had been recorded since 3pm on Tuesday.
"The amount of lightning strikes that have hit landfall are considerable and more fires I'm sure will be identified," Mr Byatt said.
"There are approximately 70 incidents across the state.
"Many of these fires are burning in rugged and inaccessible terrain which we are finding challenging to contain.
"It's likely that fires will continue to be detected and that number will rise from 70."
The state's Parks division has been busy following up on bushwalkers who might be in strife due to the fires.
"We've had staff out there checking log books, car parks, overflowing tracks, just to try and get the ones who are in fire-affected areas out as quickly as possible," Parks acting general manager Andrew Roberts said.
The southwest wilderness around Mount Anne, popular with walkers, is a focus.
"We've got up to 50 walkers that we're extracting by helicopter because there's a dotting of (lightning) strikes around that area that we're concerned about."
There is more high fire danger weather expected on Thursday before a cool change at the end of the week.
"We will be making an additional request for remote firefighting teams from our interstate colleagues and they will run in parallel to our current deployments," Mr Byatt said, adding that the assistance will be needed for a number of weeks.
Already there are 53 interstate personnel including specialist crews from NSW's Rural Fire Service in Tasmania working on a blaze northwest of Hobart that has burnt through more than 20,000 hectares of wilderness and lasted more than a fortnight.
Firefighters have been forced to trek for two hours through rugged terrain to reach the front of the Gell River blaze.
The Bureau's state manager Simon McCulloch said it was "a little unusual" to have so much elevated thunderstorm activity over two successive days.
"The conditions are easing. We do expect some more dry lightning and then that whole area of instability is moving away to the east," he said.
Hot conditions and minimal rain are expected to persist in parts of inland Tasmania until Friday.
Heat is forecast to return to parts of Tasmania next week.
Australian Associated Press
