Fire fears
WONTHAGGI residents are on high alert as police chase a firebug in the wake of four fires over the weekend.
The blazes follow two blazes at neighbouring properties in Wonthaggi on Friday, April 17.
News of the latest fires worried 11 year old Chad Cameron, whose family lives in Garden Street, in the vicinity of houses targeted.
The boy is particularly concerned as the arsonist set vacant houses alight and the house beside his family is empty.
“I’m scared because next door might catch on fire. I’m worried about my family staying safe,” he said.
Chad’s mother Sandra Wingate said her son had started listening for strange noises and yelling at teenagers near his house.
“He can see the houses that have been set on fire as he goes past on the way to school,” she said.
CFA operations officer David Murdoch said the fires were suspicious and most likely related.
He said firefighters are extra vigilant in the wake of the attacks, in case more fires are lit.
“If members of the public see anything suspicious, report it to the police immediately,” Mr Murdoch said.
Firefighters were called to the first incident in Broome Crescent at 11.47pm Saturday. The vacant house was well alight when firefighters arrived and it could not be saved.
Wonthaggi and Inverloch CFA units responded to the initial call. Whilst fighting the fire, they were notified another fire had been lit on a front porch in the same street. Wonthaggi and Inverloch firefighters were able to save the house from further damage.
A shed was burnt in Merrin Crescent and a garage, motorbike and car were destroyed in Reed Crescent on Sunday. Both fires were reported just past midnight.
Additional fire crews were deployed to the fires from Phillip Island, San Remo, Dalyston and Kilcunda fire brigades.
Police soon arrived from Wonthaggi, Inverloch and San Remo, and began making enquiries into the cause of the fires.
Fortunately, no one was injured but the blazes caused extensive damage.
“Deliberately lit fire calls take volunteers away from workplaces, families and potentially genuine emergencies. It also means our critical resources are being deployed unnecessarily,” CFA District 8 operations officer Cliff O’Connor said.
Fire investigators and police forensics are yet to determine the cause of the fires.
On April 17, the Wonthaggi CFA attended a house fire in Dickson Street. The rental home was vacant at the time and was extensively damaged.
While attending that fire, police found a ride-on lawn mower smouldering in an open shed at a property in Stewart Street.
That property was across a laneway from the Dickson Street home. The CFA attended and extinguished the mower.
Police believed the fires were related and suspicious.
House destroyed: the Broome Crescent home in Wonthaggi was secured following the fire early Sunday morning.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Apr 28 2015. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
