NSW Bushfires: Blaze which damaged Crest Reserve, Georges Hall, treated as suspicious
Officers are investigating whether a fire which destroyed sections of a reserve in Sydney’s southwest when it reached temperatures of 45C was deliberately lit.
The Express
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Bankstown Police are investigating a suspicious fire which destroyed a section of The Crest Reserve at Georges Hall and took firefighters several hours to put out.
This was the biggest of the three fires in the Canterbury Bankstown region over the weekend with train services also affected to Regents Park after a grass fire broke out near the station.
At Georges Hall, Fire and Rescue NSW and Rural Fire Services jointly battled the blaze at the Bellevue Ave reserve which began around 2.15pm on Saturday, January 4, when temperatures soared to a sweltering 45C.
The Crest Reserve is home to sporting fields and has been closed to the public until further notice, according to a council spokesman.
No one was hurt in the fire which saw FRNSW and RFS send 14 fire trucks to extinguish the blaze and prevent it from damaging adjacent properties.
“After the fire had been put out around 6.30pm, it flared up again around 9.30pm when the southerly came in,” FRNSW spokesman Rob Jansen said.
“The southerly carried the embers to unburnt areas of the reserve causing another fire.
“This was eventually put out around 3am on Sunday morning.
“We had a lot of fire trucks around to ensure the surrounding homes and properties were protected and fortunately no one was reported injured.”
A Bankstown Police spokesman said they are appealing for public help to find the person or persons allegedly responsible for lighting the fire.
“Investigators believe the fire was deliberately lit,” he said.
“We are appealing for anyone with information about the fire or anyone with dashcams who may have been in the vicinity of Rex Rd between 1pm and 2pm and may have caught people acting suspiciously.”
The public can contact Bankstown Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any information on the fire.
Meanwhile, a fire near the Regent’s Park train station at 4.30am on Sunday saw around several passengers moved from the carriages to the platform.
A Sydney Trains spokeswoman said equipment on top of a train became entangled in the overhead wiring at Regents Park.
“Buses replaced trains on the T3 Bankstown Line between Lidcombe and Bankstown, and Bankstown and Cabramatta until repairs were completed,” she said.
The spokeswoman said 20 replacement buses operated during this time, with 11 buses operating Cabramatta to Lidcombe via Regents Park and return and the rest operating Bankstown to Lidcombe via Regents Park and return.
FRNSW spokesman Mr Jansen said “The small grass fire was caused due a railway powerline falling near the tracks,” he said.
“Our crews evacuated around 20 passengers from the train.”
He said their crews quickly extinguished the fire.
FRNSW crews also had to put out a bin and fence fire on Gregory St, Yagoona on Saturday. The fire, which started at 4am, caused slight damage to a house before it was contained.