Police investigate suspicious bushfires in Australian state
Sydney: Police in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday appealed for public assistance for the ongoing investigations into the cause of several bushfires last week.
NSW Police Force reported that at about 4 p.m. on October 17, emergency services were called to McGuires Crossing Road at Belmore River on the state’s mid-north coast, following reports of a bushfire, reports Xinhua news agency.
The fire, which has been brought under control, swept through nearly 3,000 hectares of bushland in the Hat Head National Park and currently remains no threat to nearby communities.
Police confirmed that no injuries have been reported, but the blaze is believed to be suspicious.
Detectives are looking to speak with the driver of a white Nissan Patrol with a broken taillight, which was seen in the area when the blaze broke out.
A probe is also underway into any links between the Hat Head fire and three other blazes occurring on Lighthouse Road at Arakoon, Maria River Road at Crescent Head, and Crescent Head Road at Crescent Head.
“We want to identify who was driving that vehicle and speak with them about their movements, and what they were doing in the area at the time,” NSW Police Detective Inspector Peter O’Reilly told local media.
He warned that anyone who was found to be deliberately lighting bushfires could face more than 20 years in jail.
Fueled by hot, dry and windy conditions, high-to-extreme fire dangers have been hitting the nerve of NSW residents since the onset of spring.
According to the NSW Rural Fire Service, as of Tuesday, there are 65 bush and grass fires burning across the state, with 21 not yet contained.