Tasmania logging burn 'brain dead': locals
Derwent Valley residents have criticised Tasmania's forestry authorities over an escaped logging burn that has grown to almost ten times its intended size.
The fire was lit a week ago following logging operations and was intended to burn 23ha of debris, but the blaze has grown to 200ha since getting out of control on Wednesday.
The fire is burning near the Styx River, south west of Bushy Park near world heritage listed forest.
Ashley Huntington runs the Two Meter Tall brewery near Hayes, and says he called triple-zero for the first time in his life when smoke from the fire saturated his property.
"It came so quickly, it looked horrific, I was in shock," he told AAP on Saturday.
He says he became angry when he learned Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) has lit the fire after logging operations.
"It's brain dead, I'm totally against it," he said.
"It's as dry as a chip in the Derwent Valley in early March and it's Tasmania's peak fire season."
Kayak tour operator Fiona Weaver runs tourist trips on the stretch of the Derwent most affected by the smoke, and told AAP her clients have been feeling the effects.
"As tourism operators we feel like we are not supported by the Tasmania government, they support these practices over the longevity of our industry," she said on Thursday.
Resources Minister Guy Barnett said in a statement to AAP that the state's forestry authorities are working to restrict the fire to containment lines.
"A thorough review will be undertaken by STT to identify any learnings, which can be taken into account moving forward," Mr Barnett said on Saturday.
There are three choppers working on the blaze, with eight tankers, two bulldozers and one excavator cutting containment lines.
Firefighters have been helped by some rain on the fire ground on Saturday.
Environmentalist Bob Brown has called on the Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein to launch an investigation into the escaped blaze and stop post logging burns.
"He owes it to the farming industry and the tourist industry which have been impacted," Dr Brown said.
The fire is one of 175 burns planned by STT following logging in the state's forests in 2021.
STT says research shows that fire is the most effective method of regenerating healthy eucalypt forests following logging.
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