Blacksmiths: Suspected arson attacks in Lake Macquarie, include Molotov cocktail, car fires
In a series of shock incidents believed to be arson-related, a woman has had a Molotov cocktail thrown through her bedroom window, and a number of other fires have been lit in a Lake Macquarie suburb.
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An elderly woman has had a Molotov cocktail thrown through a bedroom window and two men have had their cars targeted during a series of bizarre and concerning arson attacks in Blacksmiths.
Lake Macquarie detectives have sought advice from the specialist arson squad as they search for motives and links between the three arson attacks in six days last month.
The most concerning was the afternoon attack on an 80-year-old woman on August 12, where a Molotov cocktail smashed through a bedroom window and sparked a carpet blaze.
The elderly woman was able to extinguish the fire, which occurred about 2pm on Carawa St, before she saw a hand enter through the shattered window and spray accelerant onto the blaze in an effort to reignite it.
She was able to again douse the flames before they took hold.
“It is either a random attack or the perpetrator has chosen an incorrect address to target,’’ Lake Macquarie crime manager Detective Inspector Steve Benson said.
“There is absolutely nothing in her or her family’s background to suggest they would be targeted.”
Six days after the Molotov cocktail, a man woke in nearby Turea St to find the tarpaulin on the tray of his utility had been damaged by fire.
The arsonist would have walked passed another vehicle before targeting the utility any time between 10.30pm on August 17 and 8.30am the following day.
However, detectives believe it could have occurred in the early hours of the morning after another Blacksmiths resident reported a similar incident before dawn on August 18.
The Beltana St resident told police he heard a car parked out the front of his house and drive off three times within a few minutes.
About 20 minutes after the third visit, the resident heard an explosion and later discovered damage to the back of his vehicle.
Detective Inspector Benson said there was nothing to suggest links between the three attacks other than they all occurred close to one another.
However, investigators were keeping an open mind.
“They are very concerning,’’ he said.
“The possibility of serious harm or property damage, especially in the incident involving the elderly woman, is pretty high.’’