One feared dead as fires ravage Tasmania

A MAN is feared dead and communities are bracing for a catastrophic morning as bushfires tear across Tasmania.

Two huge bushfires were threatening more Tasmanian communities after homes were destroyed and police investigated a suspected death in the south of the state.

Up to 65 buildings, including houses, a school and an RSL club, had been destroyed in the small community of Dunalley, 55 kilometres southeast of Hobart.

Police said around 15 properties at nearby Boomer Bay and more at Connellys Marsh had also been lost as the impact of catastrophic fire conditions in southern Tasmania began to emerge.

More communities were being affected late on Friday night by the Dunalley area fire and another in the Derwent Valley northwest of Hobart which was causing concern again after winds changed.