Fires near Geraldton started by accused arsonist burn through 2100ha of scrub, continue to flare up

A series of fires allegedly deliberately lit along Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road tore through 2100 hectares of land, and remained a risk as volunteer firefighters continued to fight flare-ups on Tuesday morning. Tenindewa farmer and bushfire control officer, Brendan Weir, a call for help was made to the bushfire brigade group chat at 3.20pm on Saturday. “Then someone put out a message that they’d seen a car near another fire which had flared up, so it became clear pretty early in the piece that someone was starting them,” he said. Mullewa farmer Rod Messina told the ABC he was on his way to help with a blaze when he saw another fire ignite. “I have seen a black car on the side of the road, basically in the rail reserve, and next minute I see all of this smoke and flames ignite,” he said. “(The car) sped off and I had to decide whether to stop and put the fire out or turn around and follow.” Mr Messina followed the vehicle for about 20 minutes. “He started igniting fires out the window, so throwing things out the window and I basically watched him light another seven fires,” he said. The black Commodore eventually broke down, and Mr Messina stood close to the scene until police arrived. Power poles were damaged during the blaze, causing power to be out until Sunday. A power pole which fell on to the railway stopped transport for mining and farming, which is estimated to have cost $100,000 for each hour it was closed. Mr Weir said though no homes were damaged, the fires still had an impact on the local community. “We take our own gear out there to fight the fire. And our local Christmas tree was meant to be on Saturday night but it had to be cancelled because everyone was fighting the fire and we had no power,” he said. Geraldton man Jamain Patrick Grant, 25, appeared in Northbridge Courthouse on Sunday morning charged with two counts of breach of duty in relation to starting the fires, and threats to kill his six year old son who was in the car with him. He will appear again in court on Thursday. The fires in Ambania - 50km east of Geraldton - occurred the same day another suspicious bushfire began in Arrowhead, just south of Dongara, one week after a bushfire came within metres of properties in Howatharra, about 25km north of Geraldton. The Howatharra blaze, not believed to be suspicious, burnt through parts of Chapman Valley and Northampton shires, damaging power poles, fencing, piping and killing livestock.

Fires near Geraldton started by accused arsonist burn through 2100ha of scrub, continue to flare up

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