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General News

18 September, 2024

Fire bugs on the loose? Cause of fires a concern for police

Firefighters believe most of the fires in Mount Isa have been deliberately lit.

By Troy Rowling

Mount Isa fire crews clean up the scene of an old car wrecker’s property off Duchess Road on Friday morning.
Mount Isa fire crews clean up the scene of an old car wrecker’s property off Duchess Road on Friday morning.

A majority of the 43 grass fires that have scorched Mount Isa this month are believed to have been deliberately lit, says Queensland Fire Department Western Command Inspector Jarrod Olivero.

However, police say it is too early to tell from initial investigations whether the fires are due to the careless actions of drivers and campers or if the perpetrators had a more sinister intent.

Police have confirmed there are five active investigations into suspicious vegetation, vehicle and structural fires in the city. These include fires at Mount Isa Golf Club and Frank Aston Hill on September 4, and the fire that engulfed a car wrecker’s yard near Duchess Road last week.

Police also confirmed there were other investigations into fires of “undetermined” origin, such as a grass fire that damaged a home in Pioneer on Sunday night and a fire that came within metres of the Lake Moondarra Booster Pump Station last Thursday.

Mount Isa police said that a 42-year-old Northern Territory man had been arrested and charged with deliberately lighting a vegetation fire at George McCoy Park.

Three of the young people allegedly involved in the Mount Isa CBD crime spree that saw six cars stolen over a 10-hour period on September 5 have also been charged with deliberately torching one of the stolen cars in Healy.

Senior Sergeant Adrian Rieck said police had increased its investigative resources in response to the spate of fires.

He said firefighters referred suspicious incidents to police, who then investigated the origin of the fire, including determining whether it was intentionally or irresponsibly lit.

“There is the potential for people who may have lit fires to be out there, and we are adjusting our policing methodology to combat that. If anyone sees anything suspicious, they should be calling

PoliceLink or call triple-0 if it is an emergency,” Snr Sgt Reick said.

“Anyone who is hunting or camping needs to realise what they are doing is a huge risk in this environment and they need to be doing it in a place where they are allowed.”

Mr Olivero said that the volume and size of the fires in Mount Isa this month had been the worst he has seen since he arrived in the city eight years ago.

He said he believed the timing and location of the fires indicated they had been deliberately lit.

“We know that if there is a fire that starts at 2am behind an industrial estate that it is unlikely to have been caused by workers on machinery because the areas are vacant at that time,” he said.

“Last year, the bulk of the fires were contained to a two-week period, but this year there have been a lot more fires.”

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