REMOTE area firefighters from the Mid North Coast have played their part in the ongoing battle to contain fires burning in Tasmania.
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The firefighters are part of the Mid Coast RAFT (Remote Area Firefighting Team). Members come from Forster, Gloucester, Taree, Wingham and Port Macquarie.
The first deployment flew out from Taree airport just before Australia Day - full story here
Since then a number of the firefighters have returned for a second deployment.
The alpine conditions and dense peat vegetation provided for some very challenging conditions with it smouldering at 500 degrees.
Fighting such intense flames in the chilly temperatures was certainly something new for these firefighters from the Mid North Coast.
Tasmanian alpine areas are not adapted to fire and this again presents a challenge. It is believed lighting caused the fires and due to the extremely dry conditions it has continued to burn.
Over 100,000 hectares have been burnt and around 30 fires are still burning.