International News Opinons Politics

24 Australians Charged with Bushfire Arson as Further Arrests Expected

Twenty-four Australians in the state of New South Wales alone have been arrested since early November for intentionally setting bushfires as a record number of blazes continue to burn across the country.

More suspects are expected to be questioned in coming days as local police work to find and apprehend culprits who have contributed to the devastating fire season, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Two dozen people charged with deliberately setting fires are among 183 facing legal action in the state, according to the New South Wales Police Force.


In addition to those facing the most serious charges of starting fires intentionally, authorities said another 53 people are facing legal action for not complying with the state’s fire ban and 47 people have faced legal action for discarding a lit cigarette or match on land.

Starting a bushfire intentionally and being reckless in causing its spread can result in up to 21 years in prison, authorities said.

Legal actions can range “from cautions through to criminal charges,” according to NSW police.


Fetterman downplays GOP fundraising partnership and dodges reelection plans
Not a Single Democrat Showed Up to Wednesday’s Senate Hearing on Taxpayers Being Defrauded
Todd Blanche confirmation hearing turns to Smith bombshells: ‘Did Jack Smith read my emails?’
Even Under Trump, FBI Fights FOIAs That Would Show How Much Agency Paid Big Tech to Censor Conservatives
Powerful LGBTQ+ group’s endorsements could tank vulnerable Dems over radical youth trans agenda
Canadian woman accused of slapping Trump-supporting teen turned over to ICE
Lib Outlets Fall for Troll Jacob Wohl Again, Tout Nonexistent ‘MAGA Mess’ Because Rapper Wanting a Pardon Allegedly Got Scammed
Police say Canadian woman slapped teen over Trump and ICE clothing before ICE detained her
Alabama sheriff details gruesome murders of veteran and wife inside their own home
Biden book launch backfires as critics mock ‘autopen’ president into oblivion
Tim Walz becomes GOP punchline in sweeping new war on welfare fraud
Report: Gay Couple Sues Surrogate Mom for Not Aborting Baby Over Cleft Lip
Kamala Harris Lashes Out After Another Illegal is Killed While Allegedly Trying to Run Over ICE Agents
Dem Activist Harry Sisson Proves How Violent Leftists Are, Predicts Charlie Kirk Statue in NYC Won’t Last 10 Minutes
Montana Dem running as blue-collar smokejumper spent years lobbying for far-left groups

See also  Judge bars Trump from using IRS immunity deal to evade investigation over past tax filings

The story of man-made fires is the same right across the country, as the Australian newspaper reports.

It reports police arrested 183 people nationally for lighting bushfires across Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania in the past few months.

Queensland state police say 101 people have been picked up for setting fires in the bush, 32 adults and 69 juveniles.

In Tasmania, where fires have sprung up in the north of the state and outside Hobart, five were caught setting fire to vegetation. Victoria reported 43 charged for 2019.

Meanwhile, the University of Sydney estimated 480 million animals have perished in the most populous state of New South Wales alone.

“The fires have also been devastating for Australia’s wildlife and wild places, as vital areas of bush, forests and parks have been scorched and many millions of animals killed or injured,” Dr. Stuart Blanch, senior manager land clearing and restoration with World Wildlife Fund-Australia, told ABC News. “Until the fires subside the full extent of damage will remain unknown.”


Fetterman downplays GOP fundraising partnership and dodges reelection plans
Not a Single Democrat Showed Up to Wednesday’s Senate Hearing on Taxpayers Being Defrauded
Todd Blanche confirmation hearing turns to Smith bombshells: ‘Did Jack Smith read my emails?’
Even Under Trump, FBI Fights FOIAs That Would Show How Much Agency Paid Big Tech to Censor Conservatives
Powerful LGBTQ+ group’s endorsements could tank vulnerable Dems over radical youth trans agenda
Canadian woman accused of slapping Trump-supporting teen turned over to ICE
Lib Outlets Fall for Troll Jacob Wohl Again, Tout Nonexistent ‘MAGA Mess’ Because Rapper Wanting a Pardon Allegedly Got Scammed
Police say Canadian woman slapped teen over Trump and ICE clothing before ICE detained her
Alabama sheriff details gruesome murders of veteran and wife inside their own home
Biden book launch backfires as critics mock ‘autopen’ president into oblivion
Tim Walz becomes GOP punchline in sweeping new war on welfare fraud
Report: Gay Couple Sues Surrogate Mom for Not Aborting Baby Over Cleft Lip
Kamala Harris Lashes Out After Another Illegal is Killed While Allegedly Trying to Run Over ICE Agents
Dem Activist Harry Sisson Proves How Violent Leftists Are, Predicts Charlie Kirk Statue in NYC Won’t Last 10 Minutes
Montana Dem running as blue-collar smokejumper spent years lobbying for far-left groups

See also  Top economists and AI leaders warn of ‘unprecedented transformation’

As Breitbart News reported, the link between arsonists and the deadly fires that devastate Australia every summer is well known and documented, with the rate of deliberately lit fires escalating rapidly during the school holiday period.

Dr Paul Read, co-director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson, said the great majority of Australian bushfires are deliberately lit by “cunning, furtive and versatile criminals,” reports ABC News.

“About 85 per cent are related to human activity, 13 per cent confirmed arson and 37 per cent suspected arson,” he said. “The remainder are usually due to reckless fire lighting or even just children playing with fire.”

Dr Read said holidays and summer were a bad combination when it came to criminal fire starters.

“School holidays are a prime time for fire bugs, but especially over summer,” he said. “The kids have got time to get out there and light, and the most dangerous adults choose hot days.”

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter