Tasmanian firefighting crews are bracing for a tough weekend with hot, windy weather expected to fuel a large bushfire on the state's northeast coast.
The 7500 hectare blaze near St Helens has been burning for the past week and has come within 50 metres of home and properties.
Good weather on Friday allowed crews to gain a handle on the bushfire but conditions are expected to worsen across the weekend.
"We're expecting that to have a lot of pressure (on Saturday) with the incoming increased temperature and change in direction of wind," senior station officer Tyrone Clark told the ABC.
"The conditions will intensify with some higher temperatures and increased wind speed and some gusts that could push the fire more aggressively."
A large air tanker from NSW was deployed on Friday afternoon to help protect communities south of St Helens.
"Plans have been in place for a few days now to potentially utilise aerial retardant drops," Tasmania Fire Service state controller Jeremy Smith said.
More than 100 firefighters are battling the fire.
TFS has urged residents to follow their bushfire survival plan.
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