Two men allegedly lit fires during NSW fire ban by lighting underground wires and burning rubbish

Two more firebugs are charged over bushfire crisis: Man, 37, is accused of lighting underground wires while another man, 27, set alight a pile of rubbish in his backyard

  • Two men have been accused of lighting fires – breaching NSW’s total fire ban
  • One man, 37, allegedly set underground wires on fire in Sydney’s inner-west
  • Another man, 26, is alleged to have lit a fire to burn rubbish in the Hunter Valley
  • Police said they are also investigating 12 fires they believe were deliberately lit 

Two men have been accused of lighting fires by setting underground wires alight and burning rubbish.

Both incidents allegedly happened in New South Wales on Wednesday during a total fire ban.

The first offence is alleged to have occurred at 1.40am in Annandale in Sydney’s inner-west when a man, 37, lifted up a section of footpath with a crowbar and set the wires on fire.

Two men in New South Wales have been accused of lighting fires by setting underground wires alight and burning rubbish (pictured a firefighter fights a fire near Colo Heights north-west of Sydney on Thursday)

He then left the scene at Johnstone Street with a woman before emergency services were called to extinguish the blaze after flames were seen coming out of the ground. 

NSW Police said the man was then arrested at about 1.30pm the same day and charged with destroying or damaging property in company by means of fire.

He was also charged with failing to comply with a fire ban.

He was refused bail to appear before Newtown Local Court on Thursday.

Police allege the second incident occurred in Long Point in the Hunter Valley shortly after 9pm on Wednesday when emergency services responded to reports a small fire had been lit in a backyard.

A man, 26, allegedly lit the fire less than 40 metres from a shed containing potential accelerants – including petrol, oil and fertilisers.

The man was issued with a Future Court Attendance Notice for failing to comply with a total fire ban.

Both incidents allegedly happened in New South Wales on Wednesday during a total fire ban (pictured firefighters at the Colo Heights fire on Thursday

Both incidents allegedly happened in New South Wales on Wednesday during a total fire ban (pictured firefighters at the Colo Heights fire on Thursday

He is due to appear before Singleton Local Court on 16 January next year.  

It comes after the state’s police force said they were investigating 12 fires they believe were deliberately lit. 

Officers say the fires were lit during the state-wide fire ban on Tuesday, and are asking locals in the areas affected to come forward with any information.

Fires broke out in Moonbi, Berkeley, Katoomba, and Loftus. There were another three in Balgownie, two in South Turramurra, and four in Morisset.

59 fires continued to burn in New South Wales as of midday on Thursday, 30 of which are not contained (Hillville fire near Taree pictured burning bushland on Tuesday)

59 fires continued to burn in New South Wales as of midday on Thursday, 30 of which are not contained (Hillville fire near Taree pictured burning bushland on Tuesday)

Of those, alerts remain in place at Loftus, Katoomba, Turramurra and Moonbi. 

Two men have also been arrested for allegedly impersonating emergency services officers and another five were served court attendance notices for breaching total fire ban.  

A 16-year-old boy has also been arrested and accused of starting a bushfire near on the central Queensland coast that destroyed 36 buildings.

At least 14 homes were also burnt to the ground in the allegedly deliberately-lit fire which started at Cobraball at about 1.30pm on Saturday. 

59 fires continued to burn in New South Wales as of midday on Thursday, 30 of which are not contained. 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk