NSW bushfires: police set to charge a dozen with arson
17 December 2019
Published by https://www.theaustralian.com.au/
AUSTRALIA – NSW Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd has revealed investigators are close to charging more than a dozen suspected arsonists believed to have deliberately lit bushfires as the state remains in the grip of an ongoing bushfire crisis.
With tireless firefighters continuing to battle more than 100 blazes across NSW, Mr Shepherd warned the RFS was working “hand-in-hand with police” and noted that the state has “some of the toughest arson laws and penalties” in the country.
It comes amid revelations at least 56 people have already been charged or cautioned with 71 bushfire-related offences since August, with 16 ogoing investigations into suspicious fires, including a blaze that threatened the rim of suburban Sydney in South Turramurra, on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, on November 12.
“There are a number of fires so far this season that have been lit with malicious intent,” Mr Shepherd told The Australia.
Firefighters protected properties in Bilpin, New South Wales, from the Gospers Mountain bushfire, on December 15, as seen in this footage. The fire was burning at “watch and act” level on December 17, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. The blaze had spread more than 400,000 hectares and was threatening a number of communities in the Blue Mountains region including Mount Lagoon, Bilpin, Mountt Irvine, Mount Wilson, Berambing and Mount Tomah. The fire had claimed a number of properties since it started burning in November. Credit: Chrys Maoudis/Cottage Point Rural Fire Brigade via Storyful
“We work hand-in-hand with police to investigate fires and have several officers working on the current investigations.
“It’s only a matter of time until the police catch up with them. We’re working to close those cases soon and ensure those responsible are charged and brought before the courts.”
NSW’s bushfire crisis has already claimed six lives and more than 700 homes this season, and Mr Shepherd warned that arsonists could easily find themselves facing up to 25 years imprisonment for manslaughter.
“This kind of activity is dangerous and stupid … and the real issue is the severity fo the risk when the environment is so dry and windy, and conducive to fires spreading extraordinarily quickly,” he said.
He said the majority of fires currently scorching the state were started by lighting, or embers spread from those fires — but noted that individuals’ negligence in respecting total fire bans when holding barbecues and going camping, was not insignificant when compared with arson.
The warning came as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that “huge” firefronts ravaging her state are uncontrollable.
Ms Berejiklian made the announcement from the Rural Fire Service’s Hawkesbury Fire Control Centre on Tuesday, adjacent to both a mammoth 400,000 hectare “mega-fire” at Gospers Mountain, as well as the town of Mount Tomah, where backburning that spiralled out of control destroyed up to 12 homes on Sunday.
Authorities in NSW were pleading with residents to monitor conditions ahead of peak danger days on Thursday and Saturday, when daytime temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees in eastern NSW and ACT, and 45 degrees in western NSW.
Ms Berejiklian said “in particular we’re very worried about Thursday and also Saturday.”
“At this stage we want to make sure everybody’s alert,” she said.
“The firefronts have joined, and the firefront is now huge. Containment is not an option, what is the option is to save life and property.”
Emergency Services minister David Elliott said “the next five days, could potentially see some of the most dangerous conditions that the state has seen for quite some time”.
Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said heatwave conditions interacting with the ongoing firefront would create an “awful situation” later in the week.
“By no means people should underestimate the potential for how bad these days can be,” Mr Rogers said of Saturday, which he believes will be the worst day, and Thursday which he said “will be bad enough”.
“With strong wings, you’ve got the worst possible circumstances and also so much fire in the landscape in so close a proximity to urban areas. It’s an awful situation.”
“One of the things that we found over this fire season is people are waiting until the last minute and then they’re suddenly ringing triple zero and saying ‘I need help’. Sometimes we can’t get firefighters to people in those circumstances.” he said.
Mr Rogers said firefighters are doing “whatever they can” to protect the “critical” Springvale coal mine facility near the Gospers Mountain firefront north west of Sydney.
He also said he was confident the Wallerawang power station, which supplies 10 per cent of power to NSW and is also near the Gospers Mountain fire, would not be affected, as westerly winds would push the fire in the opposite direction from the blaze on Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesman for Energy Australia told The Australian the Mount Piper power station at Wallerawang was operating “with only essential personnel”, and was working closely with the RFS and the Australian Energy Market Operator to ensure supply was met.
