Print PageA bushfire that destroyed homes in southern Tasmania is still causing concern for authorities as temperatures again heat up.
Areas around Hobart are predicted to reach above 30C on Thursday, with hot and dry conditions forecast for most of south eastern Australia.
Fire crews have spent the past week backburning and building containment lines around several major bushfires across the state, especially the Forcett fire that tore through areas east of Hobart almost two weeks ago.
More than 130 homes and buildings were lost at Dunalley and the Tasman Peninsula on January 4, when southern Tasmania experienced its hottest day on record.
Tasmania Fire Service spokesman John Holloway said fire conditions for Thursday were not likely to be as bad as initially predicted.
"We were expecting to have much more dangerous weather, but it is still quite hot," he told AAP.
"The wind is in a different direction, so we've got a bit of a reprieve, but we're still asking people to keep vigilant."
However, Mr Holloway said the Forcett blaze, which is not yet fully contained, could again cause problems.
"People around Eaglehawk Neck and Doo Town are the ones we are most concerned about but that risk appears to be reducing a little," he said.
The state's Bushfire Recovery Taskforce held its first formal meeting on Wednesday, after the state and federal governments announced grants for the massive clean-up and rebuild.
Up to $25,000 will be available to eligible small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and primary producers in the Sorell, Tasman and Glamorgan-Spring Bay local government areas.
Energy supplier Aurora said around 500 customers remained without power in Tasmania's southeast as a result of the January 4 fires.
The Insurance Council of Australia says insured private losses from the fires have reached $69 million.
