Australian police catch fire-lighting children as Queensland bushfires rage on
22 November 2019
Published by https://www.stuff.co.nz
AUSTRALIA – Australian police have spoken to at least 18 people about deliberately lighting fires on the already devastated east coast.
The nearby state of New South Wales has been suffering from massive wildfires for over two weeks, with large blazes also tearing through parts of Queensland.
Since a state of emergency was declared, police have taken action against 18 people – 10 of whom are reportedly children – for deliberately lighting fires, the ABC reported.
On Friday, a 13 year-old-girl was arrested for allegedly lighting fires in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, 7 News reported.
Thegirl was quickly arrested and charged with causing a bushfire. She was due to appear in court on Friday, 7 News reported.
Last week, three teenage boys were also detained and spoken to by police after a grassfire was allegedly deliberately lit in Sydney’s south-west, 7 News reported.
The 10 juveniles police have spoken to will be dealt with under the Youth Justice Act, ABC reported.
But it’s not just young fire-bugs who have been arrested. Last week, a 51-year-old man was charged for allegedly lighting a blaze that threatened homes in northern New South Wales.
At the time, police alleged the man lit the fire to protect his cannabis crop near Ebor, nearly 600 kilometres north of Sydney. He was arrested and charged with intentionally causing a fire and recklessness to allow its spread.
Last week, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) also acknowledged it may have been responsible for one of the bushfires causing havoc inland from the Gold Coast.
An army unit had been training in the east of the field training area the week the fire started.
During the training, a small fire started accidentally and burnt out an area of 3 metres x 3 metres but was thought to have been extinguished.
A Defence Force Colonel later stated that it was possible the fire reignited.
The raging bush fires across New South Wales and Queensland have been devastating for the country.
Six people have died and more than 500 homes have been destroyed in the fires throughout the state since the start of the bushfire season.
Around 2.5 million hectares of land had been burned by the blazes, and hundreds of koalas have perished in their reserves.
The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has been inundated with burned and injured animals in desperate need of help.
Schools have been closed, and Sydney has also been blanketed in smoke for three days, sparking warnings for people to keep children indoors.
New Zealand has sent teams of firefighters to Australia to help fight the blazes.
