Tasmanian health authorities are urging people with health conditions to leave their homes, as dense smoke blankets Hobart from bushfires burning in the state.
Smoke levels at Cygnet, south of the capital, and surrounding areas could cause serious health issue, State Public Health Director Mark Veitch has warned.
"Bushfire smoke is harmful and can trigger fatal health conditions," he said on Thursday.
"Acting to reduce your exposure to smoke will reduce your chances of becoming seriously ill."
The health conditions most affected by smoke include heart and lung diseases, including asthma and emphysema, and other chronic diseases such as diabetes.
People aged over 65, children aged five and under and pregnant women are also at risk, he said.
"Public Health Services strongly advises anyone in the Cygnet and surrounding areas who are vulnerable to smoke to leave the area to minimise their exposure," Dr Veitch said.
"You risk serious health harm by staying in these conditions."
The Kingborough Sports Centre at Kingston is available as a smoke refuge, with buses leaving Cygnet for residents who don't have their own transport.
Bushfires have been raging in Tasmania. Source: AAP
A cooler change has swept across Tasmania but it has had little effect on fires threatening communities in the Huon Valley and the central plateau.
Twelve emergency warnings are in place on Thursday, with 500 firefighters battling dozens of blazes across the state.
The Huon Valley fires are near urban areas and could throw embers up to one kilometre ahead, the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) warns.
Crews are focusing efforts on defending properties at Lonnavale, Judbury, Glen Huon, Franklin, Penstock Lagoon, Shannon Tier, Miena and Liawenee.
Residents of nearby Geeveston are being urged to use water for essential services only, such as firefighting, as supplies run low.
There was a sprinkling of rain on some fire zones overnight but not enough to have an impact.
"Two millimetres of rain on the central plateau isn't going to do anything at all," TFS district officer Andrew McGuiness told the ABC.
Three homes, plus several huts and sheds, have been lost to the fires
Churchill's Hut, a near century-old trapper's hut in the state's southwest, burned down on Wednesday despite lengthy efforts to save it.
Parts of a popular tourist attraction, the Tahune Airwalk, have been destroyed or damaged.
What's left of the Tahune airwalk. Source: Tas Fire Service
The Commonwealth Bank has opened assistance packages for customers and businesses affected by bushfires, some of which started burning before Christmas.
