Tasmania fires destroy huge swath of wilderness and could ‘burn for weeks’

<p>Around 90,000 hectares of remote country in the state’s north-west have been razed after fires sparked by lightning strikes </p><ul><li><strong>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></strong></li></ul><p>Fires that have razed 90,000 hectares of Tasmanian wilderness, including parts of the famous Overland walking track, could burn for weeks as firefighters battle to contain blazes in remote terrain.</p><p>By late on Friday, more than 20 fires – which were sparked by <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-04/tasmanian-lightning-strikes-spark-bushfires-in-wilderness-areas/104895332">dry lightning</a> strikes on 3 February – had a combined perimeter of about 1,200km in the state’s north-west.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/14/tasmania-fires-destroy-huge-swath-of-wilderness-and-could-burn-for-weeks">Continue reading...</a>