Wind makes conditions tricky for fire crews in Tasmania's north

Crews have been kept busy by windy conditions and a "difficult to control" bushfire threatening properties in Tasmania's north. 

On Monday afternoon, Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) issued a Watch and Act for Patersonia Road at Nunamara, about 30 kilometres east of Launceston, urging the community to monitor changing conditions. 

The fire was travelling in a south-easterly direction on Monday evening. 

The TFS said nearby residents should check their bushfire plans, and anyone who planned to leave should decide early and make sure they had a clear path to a safer place.

It said embers, smoke, and ash could threaten people and homes before the main fire, and that it could become difficult to see and breathe. 

The TFS's Jeremy Ripper told ABC Northern Tasmania that three aircraft, 10 ground crews and a dozer were working on the blaze. 

"It's pretty difficult to control; it's a lot of bush out there," he said. 

"The wind is swinging around a lot, which is contributing to the difficulty [in] controlling it.   

"We have had two properties under threat, which are sort of up in the bush there; we've got ground crews doing asset protection on them. 

Mr Ripper said there were not many properties in the area, but accessibility was the biggest challenge for crews, and the dozer was trying to establish tracks to help firefighters get closer. 

He said although the wind was changing, it was not overly strong. 

As of Monday evening, the fire had burned across 35 hectares. 

'We all look after each other out here'

Tim Lockrey, from the Nunamara Hub, said there was "a lot of smoke" and he had seen embers flying earlier.

"[I've] got a farm and a lot of animals. Maybe if the wind comes to my place, we'll be moving a lot of animals down the Tasman Highway."

Mr Lockrey said he had sheltered a man who had left his home.

"He was here for a while just hanging out and we said to him, 'It's alright, you know, we all look after each other out here'. We said, 'Come and stay at our place'," he said.

The local roadhouse owner said he had prepared 20 meals for firefighters.