Arson squad investigating if Central Coast bushfire was deliberately lit
Police are probing whether the Central Coast blaze that destroyed 16 homes was deliberately lit, with arson detectives now leading the investigation.
Police are probing whether the Central Coast blaze that destroyed 16 homes was deliberately lit, with arson detectives now involved in the investigation.
Two suspicious gas cans were seized from bushland less than 500m from the Koolewong firefront on Sunday.
Police have since confirmed officers from the State Crime Command’s Arson Squad, alongside forensic evidence and technical services teams, are examining the cause.
Locals reeling from the ferocity of the blaze told The Daily Telegraph over the weekend the fire was “unexpected”.
Temperatures of up to 40C and strong winds left residents in Koolewong with only 10 minutes to flee their homes on Saturday, before the blaze destroyed 16 properties.
Police soon joined firefighters on the ground and set up multiple crime scenes across Koolewong, including on Nimbin Ave, Glenrock Pde and John St.
Forensic officers and detectives were on the ground across Sunday and Monday, placing evidence markers and combing through the charred remains of the destroyed properties.
However, their investigations have been temporarily halted due to safety concerns while structural engineers assess unstable fire-damaged structures.
“Investigations are anticipated to recommence once the area has been declared safe by authorities,” a police spokesman said.
Koolewong resident Dave Scott, who found the “suspicious” gas cans next to the train line on Glenrock Pde, said he spotted the red containers while watching helicopters attack spot fires nearby.
“I looked over to my right and saw a couple of jerry cans that looked out of place especially on the day that it was.
“I made sure not to touch them because I knew they could be evidence … it could have been the trigger to what happened here.”
The NSW Rural Fire Service said the cause of the blaze remained undetermined and investigations were ongoing.
There were six fires burning across the state on Tuesday afternoon, with firefighters yet to gain control of two.
Blazes at Bulahdelah and Stroud on the mid-north coast, Redhead in the Lake Macquarie area and Koolewong were all under control.
But a fire that started on Tuesday at Bogee near Lithgow, led authorities to urge residents between Marsden Rd and Capertree River on Home Hills Rd, to leave home.
The ongoing Milsons Gully Fire in the Upper Hunter was burning across 12,200 hectares and was the subject of a “watch and act” emergency warning, with locals urged to leave if they were not prepared.
Originally published as Arson squad investigating if Central Coast bushfire was deliberately lit
