More than a dozen suspected firebugs set to be charged with lighting bushfires in New South Wales

More than a dozen suspected firebugs are set to be charged with deliberately lighting bushfires ravaging New South Wales

  • More than 100 fires are still burning in New South Wales and testing firefighters
  • NSW Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd says arsonists will be charged 
  • More than 700 homes have been destroyed with six deaths in New South Wales
  • Fifty-six people have been charged with bushfire related offences in four months
  • Dangerous conditions with high temperatures and winds are forecast this week

More than a dozen suspected arsonists are set to be charged with deliberately lighting bushfires in New South Wales.

NSW Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd said investigators are close to charging the firebugs as more than 100 blazes continue to burn across the state. 

About 700 homes have been destroyed with six fatalities in New South Wales bushfires this season – and nearly 60 people have been charged with 71 bushfire related offences in the last four months.

Mr Shepherd warned police are looking out for firebugs with serious consequences if they are caught.

More than a dozen suspected arsonists are set to be charged for deliberately starting bushfires in New South Wales. Pictured: firefighters tackle a blaze in Gospers Mountain on Sunday

‘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,’ Mr Shepherd told The Australian. 

Convicted arsonists can be charged with manslaughter and face 25 years in jail, with police currently investigating 16 suspicious fires throughout the state.

‘This kind of activity is dangerous and stupid … and the real issue is the severity of the risk when the environment is so dry and windy, and conducive to fires spreading extraordinarily quickly,’ Mr Shepherd said.

New South Wales is bracing for catastrophic fire conditions at the end of this week, with temperatures forecast to reach more than 40C in parts of the state combined with strong winds to fan the flames.

More than 100 fires are still burning throughout the state, with more than 700 homes destroyed and six casualties in New South Wales bushfires this season. Pictured: the RFS map showing an out of control blaze west of the Central Coast

More than 100 fires are still burning throughout the state, with more than 700 homes destroyed and six casualties in New South Wales bushfires this season. Pictured: the RFS map showing an out of control blaze west of the Central Coast

‘The next five days could potentially see some of the most dangerous conditions that the state has seen for quite some time,’ Emergency Services minister David Elliott said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a large number of fires in the state are uncontrollable, including a mega fire at Gospers Mountain which spans 400,000 hectares.

She warned residents to take stock of what they can before the impending flames arrive.

‘Containment is not an option, what is the option is to save life and property,’ Ms Berejiklian said.

Firefighters have been stretched to their limit for months tackling the NSW bushfire crisis, and it won't get any easier for rescue personnel with high temperatures and strong winds forecast for the end of the week. Pictured: a fireman takes stock in Colo Heights in November

Firefighters have been stretched to their limit for months tackling the NSW bushfire crisis, and it won’t get any easier for rescue personnel with high temperatures and strong winds forecast for the end of the week. Pictured: a fireman takes stock in Colo Heights in November

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