Scott Griffiths lost everything when his weatherboard home was destroyed by fire in the coastal Tasmanian town of Dunalley in 2013.
“The fire started coming over this hill to the west and it just looked mammoth it was sucking everything up in front, it was like a big jet engine coming down the hill,” he told SBS News.
His home was one of more than 60 that were destroyed that January day, in fires that were described as the worst in almost half a century.
A number of residents escaped to the nearby water where they waited for the fire front to pass.
Mr Griffiths and his family managed to get out before it was too late and spent the night at a local sports field.
When he was able to return the property he was faced with the charred remains of what was once his home.
“There wasn't much left. There was washing on the line. And that was it and that’s all we had left. It was amazing how everything just burnt the intensity in the heat of it all,” he said.
Scott Griffiths lost his home in a bushfire six years ago. Source: Gloria Kalache
With the east coast of Tasmania now in drought, there are concerns the fire threat will be high again this season.
The Tasmania Fire Service’s acting deputy chief Sandy Whight has warned because they are expecting some early bushfire activity on the east coast, any fires which start there will be difficult to control.
“The lack of rainfall means the soil and forest fuels are very dry, and there is a lot of dead fuel that is ready to burn,’ she said.
But it is not just the east coast of the state that is facing the potential for severe bushfires. Some experts are warning even Hobart could be at risk.
This image of a family sheltering under a jetty to escape the 2013 Dunalley fires became a symbol of the devastating Tasmanian bushfires around the world. Source: Holmes Family
The city’s lord mayor Anna Reynolds said she is worried there could be another catastrophic bushfire similar to the one which devastated the city in 1967. Those fires killed 64 people, left at 7,000 homeless, destroyed homes and burnt through tens of thousands of hectares of land.
“We've always been a dry city. But we are now a tinderbox city we've had dryness for more than two years, our winters are becoming drier,” she said.
“We're just really concerned that if we get the wrong conditions, a very hot day, a very windy day, which we do get down here in Hobart, that the conditions are such that a severe fire will take off.”
The city is spending $1.9 million on fuel brakes, fire trails and fuel reduction burns.
The Holmes and Waker families, who were in the iconic jetty photograph, at the remains of their property in Dunalley in 2013. Source: AAP
Bushfire expert Professor David Bowman from the University of Tasmania, believes while climate change has increased the risks of bushfires, it is not the only contributing factor.
He said the urban sprawl means more people are living closer to bush than ever before, as the population grows and many people are just not prepared.
“Unfortunately, suburbs and people in those suburbs interdigitating into the bush, and having the wrong sort of gardens and the wrong sort of fuels around the houses,” he said.
“So the wrong sort of preparation in their houses is really a recipe for disaster.”
There are fears Hobart could be at risk this bushfire season. Source: AAP
Professor Bowman said while technology and firefighting have improved dramatically since 1967, the combination of more people living near the bush and climate change have created new problems.
He said the key message for landowners is they need to be prepared.
“The only way to manage this is to actually prepare to manage fuels. So it's like preparing for the fire five years in advance, not five minutes before the fire comes.”
Six years on, despite having rebuilt his house and his life, the emotional scars of being impacted by fire are yet to heal for Mr Griffiths.
“This was our first ever house and we liked the old house, my wife still loved the old house, and when we built this house it sort of felt like a bit of a hotel,” he said.
But he advises anyone at risk to do the right thing in a fire and prioritise their safety.
“People don't realise that the actual ferocity and intensity of a fire that big. It's crazy. If you think you’re going to be a hero, don’t.”
