By . Steve Robson and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:40 EST, 5 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:12 EST, 7 January 2013 . Blocking out the sun: A bushfire burns near Ouse, north of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia . More than 100 people are missing in catastrophic bushfires that are ravaging the Australian island of Tasmania. Some 1,000 people were rescued by boat from the east coast after fires cut off roads, but police say they hold 'grave fears' for a number of residents who stayed to defend their homes but have not been heard from. It comes amid the hottest temperatures ever recorded on the island, peaking at 41.8C (107F) on Friday. As fires continued to burn yesterday, police and rescue experts began the grim search for bodies in the worst-hit towns of Boomer Bay, where 65 properties were lost, and Dunalley, both in the south-east of the island. The Queen and Prince Charles have sent messages of sympathy to those who have lost homes. Emergency services have been searching burned-out vehicles and homes in the towns worst hit by the wildfires, which began on Thursday and have been fanned by strong winds. More than 40 fires are still raging on the island as a result of the fiercest heatwave to hit Australia in more than a decade. Emergency services have been searching burned-out vehicles and homes in the towns worst hit by the wildfires, which began on Thursday and have been fanned by strong winds. Firefighters have issued an emergency warning in Taranna, 47km (29 miles) east of the state capital Hobart, where a fire burning for more than three days has threatened residents. Fire crews from Victoria and South . Australia headed to Tasmania on Sunday to help fatigued crews there, . while fires burned on in mainland states South Australia, Victoria, and . New South Wales. Speaking on Friday, Tasmania Fire Service chief . officer Mike Brown said:  'We reached catastrophic fire danger . ratings at times during this afternoon. Scroll down for video . Devastation: The debris of houses destroyed by bushfire is seen from the air in Dunalley . Ruins: More than 100 homes have been destroyed in Australia's island state of Tasmania . Scorched earth: The remains of burnt homes in Dunalley, Tasmania . 'I don't think we're quite out of the woods yet.' The . national weather bureau warned this weekend's relative mildness would . be a brief reprieve, with extremely hot conditions set to return to much . of the country early next week. The fires that continue to burn in Tasmania have cut off communities and hampered efforts to search devastated areas. In the small town of Dunalley, 56km east of Hobart, more than 80 homes and buildings and a school have been destroyed. The carnage included the town's school, police station and a bakery. Flying into the fire: Police Rescue Helicopter crewman Matthew Drumm surveys the damage over Tasmania . Black clouds: This photo from Kaycie Bradford shows a bushfire still burning near Ouse, north of Hobart . Fleeing for their lives: Evacuees sit inside the Hobart City Hall after being evacuated from their homes . There had been reports of a fatality but . police later confirmed that there have been no reported deaths as a . result of the fires. Nearby Boomer Bay and Marion Bay have also suffered damage. Acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) there were about 100 people with whom authorities are still trying to make contact. It may take days to determine whether the fires have killed anyone during what is the peak holiday season on the island. 'We're hoping very much along with everyone else that there won't be (any deaths), but we need to go through the process to confirm that there haven't been,' Tilyard told ABC. Bathers enjoy the beach at Carlton near Hobart as smoke from the bush fires billows in the background . A school has been left burnt to the ground by a bush fire in Dunalley, Tasmania . Smoke from a bushfire billows over hills near Forcett, about 25 kilometres east of Hobart . Up to 80 homes have been destroyed by wildfires in Tasmania as temperatures reach 42 degrees . Bushfires are a major risk in the Australian summer, which brings extreme heat, dryness, and strong winds. Authorities warned earlier in the summer that much of the country faced extreme fire conditions this season. The . Black Saturday fires, the worst in Australia's history, killed 173 . people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria in February 2009. Australia's wheat . harvest is unlikely to be affected by the fires and hot weather, as the . vast majority of this season's crop has been harvested, analysts said. Wildfires are common in the Australian summer but can cause huge amounts of damage and have left many dead in the past . Thousands of people have had to flee their homes as the fire sweeps through Tasmania . The fires took hold about 40kilometres east of Hobart in Tasmania .
1,000 people rescued by boat from the east coast as fires cut off roads .
Wildfires are still raging as fiercest heatwave in a decade continues .
The Queen sends message of sympathy to those who have lost homes .
Around 80 buildings destroyed on the island state, including a school .
Emergency warning issued to residents in Taranna, with more fires likely .
By . Steve Robson and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 14:40 EST, 5 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:12 EST, 7 January 2013 . Blocking out the sun: A bushfire burns near Ouse, north of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia . More than 100 people are missing in catastrophic bushfires that are ravaging the Australian island of Tasmania. Some 1,000 people were rescued by boat from the east coast after fires cut off roads, but police say they hold 'grave fears' for a number of residents who stayed to defend their homes but have not been heard from. It comes amid the hottest temperatures ever recorded on the island, peaking at 41.8C (107F) on Friday. As fires continued to burn yesterday, police and rescue experts began the grim search for bodies in the worst-hit towns of Boomer Bay, where 65 properties were lost, and Dunalley, both in the south-east of the island. The Queen and Prince Charles have sent messages of sympathy to those who have lost homes. Emergency services have been searching burned-out vehicles and homes in the towns worst hit by the wildfires, which began on Thursday and have been fanned by strong winds. More than 40 fires are still raging on the island as a result of the fiercest heatwave to hit Australia in more than a decade. Emergency services have been searching burned-out vehicles and homes in the towns worst hit by the wildfires, which began on Thursday and have been fanned by strong winds. Firefighters have issued an emergency warning in Taranna, 47km (29 miles) east of the state capital Hobart, where a fire burning for more than three days has threatened residents. Fire crews from Victoria and South . Australia headed to Tasmania on Sunday to help fatigued crews there, . while fires burned on in mainland states South Australia, Victoria, and . New South Wales. Speaking on Friday, Tasmania Fire Service chief . officer Mike Brown said: 'We reached catastrophic fire danger . ratings at times during this afternoon. Scroll down for video . Devastation: The debris of houses destroyed by bushfire is seen from the air in Dunalley . Ruins: More than 100 homes have been destroyed in Australia's island state of Tasmania . Scorched earth: The remains of burnt homes in Dunalley, Tasmania . 'I don't think we're quite out of the woods yet.' The . national weather bureau warned this weekend's relative mildness would . be a brief reprieve, with extremely hot conditions set to return to much . of the country early next week. The fires that continue to burn in Tasmania have cut off communities and hampered efforts to search devastated areas. In the small town of Dunalley, 56km east of Hobart, more than 80 homes and buildings and a school have been destroyed. The carnage included the town's school, police station and a bakery. Flying into the fire: Police Rescue Helicopter crewman Matthew Drumm surveys the damage over Tasmania . Black clouds: This photo from Kaycie Bradford shows a bushfire still burning near Ouse, north of Hobart . Fleeing for their lives: Evacuees sit inside the Hobart City Hall after being evacuated from their homes . There had been reports of a fatality but . police later confirmed that there have been no reported deaths as a . result of the fires. Nearby Boomer Bay and Marion Bay have also suffered damage. Acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) there were about 100 people with whom authorities are still trying to make contact. It may take days to determine whether the fires have killed anyone during what is the peak holiday season on the island. 'We're hoping very much along with everyone else that there won't be (any deaths), but we need to go through the process to confirm that there haven't been,' Tilyard told ABC. Bathers enjoy the beach at Carlton near Hobart as smoke from the bush fires billows in the background . A school has been left burnt to the ground by a bush fire in Dunalley, Tasmania . Smoke from a bushfire billows over hills near Forcett, about 25 kilometres east of Hobart . Up to 80 homes have been destroyed by wildfires in Tasmania as temperatures reach 42 degrees . Bushfires are a major risk in the Australian summer, which brings extreme heat, dryness, and strong winds. Authorities warned earlier in the summer that much of the country faced extreme fire conditions this season. The . Black Saturday fires, the worst in Australia's history, killed 173 . people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria in February 2009. Australia's wheat . harvest is unlikely to be affected by the fires and hot weather, as the . vast majority of this season's crop has been harvested, analysts said. Wildfires are common in the Australian summer but can cause huge amounts of damage and have left many dead in the past . Thousands of people have had to flee their homes as the fire sweeps through Tasmania . The fires took hold about 40kilometres east of Hobart in Tasmania .
Some 1,000 people were rescued by boat from the east coast after fires cut off roads, but police south-east of the island. The Queen and Prince Charles have sent messages of sympathy to those who have lost homes. Emergency services have been More than 40 fires are still raging on the island as a result of the fiercest heatwave to hit Australia in more than a decade. Emergency destroyed in Australia's island state of Tasmania 80 homes and buildings and a school have been