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Insurers declare catastrophe on Tas fires

Insurers have declared the bushfire-hit towns of southern Tasmania a catastrophe, and made arrangements to send extra resources to the area.

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Source: AAP


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Insurers have declared the bushfire-hit towns of southern Tasmania a catastrophe, and made arrangements to send extra resources to the area.

Fires destroyed dozens of buildings were destroyed across the Tasman Peninsula, east of Hobart, on Friday, spurred on by record high temperatures.

With fires still threatening homes in the region on Saturday, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) declared the affected towns a catastrophe, and created an industry taskforce to respond to the damage.

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The declaration includes the towns of Dunalley and Connellys Marsh, as well as Forcett, Copping, Murdunna, Boomer Bay, Primrose Sands, Susans Bay, Eaglehawk Neck and Taranna.

ICA chief executive Ron Whelan says it's too early to have an accurate estimate of the total cost of the disaster.


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