24 People Arrested for Deliberately Starting Wildfires in Australia

The recent wildfires in Australia have destroyed over 12 million acres of land, more than 2,000 homes and have killed 24 people and estimated 480 million animals. Researchers fear that entire species have been wiped out due to the fires, which have been burning since September.

Thanks to Australian investigators, they believe they have found individuals responsible for deliberately starting the fires, and 24 of them have been arrested. In fact, police have taken legal action against almost 200 people!

The 24 people arrested were charged with deliberately lighting bushfires, 53 others were accused of failing to comply with the fire ban and 47 were accused of discarding a lit cigarette or match. Police are aware that not all of those charged intentionally started any fires but, due to the severity of this disaster, there has been  a zero-tolerance approach to fire activity.

“I know a lot of them were doing things like using fireworks or lighting fires to camp or cook food,” said Deputy NSW Police Commissioner Gary Worboys. “We make no apologies for being so vigilant.”

One person in particular, 19-year-old Blake Banner, has been linked to at least 7 fires in South Sydney during the months of October and November, according to the Rural Fire Service. Investigators became suspicious of Banner after he was seen sitting in a vehicle nearby a fire shortly before it was reported, and he was one of the first responders to arrive at the fire.

New South Wales Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons states, “Our members will be rightly angry that the alleged actions of one individual can tarnish the reputation and hard work of so many.”