Teen charged over Carrum Downs bushfire

A DISTRAUGHT Carrum Downs homeowner says he’s yet to return home, recalling the “terrifying” moment he ran for his life. Residents have called for the alleged firebug to be shown the devastation first-hand.

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A DISTRAUGHT homeowner has described the “terrifying” moment he ran for his life just moments before his ­family home was set alight by an ­allegedly deliberately lit bushfire.

Jimmy Crozier was one of dozens of Carrum Downs residents forced to abandon their properties after a teenage girl allegedly lit a fire during a total fire ban. Residents have called for the alleged firebug to be shown first-hand the devastation brought about by flames that quickly spread through bush during Saturday’s scorching 41-degree heat. “I was hiding behind the fence, that’s when I heard crackling all around me. I thought I’d lost the house, so I just bolted and leapt over the fence,” Mr Crozier said. “Then phwoar, it just went up. I haven’t been back inside yet. It’s the last place I’d want to be on this planet.” He said he began hosing down his Darnley Drive property about 3.30pm on Saturday after the stench of smoke filled the air. The most harmful damage to his home was caused by a reverse airconditioning unit that caught fire and exploded, blasting smoke and ash through the building. “By 4.15pm it was all over, red rover, I had to run for my life — it was terrifying,” Mr Crozier said. Police said they were doing all they could to stop arsonists. Gathering intelligence and profiling potential culprits is key to stopping firebugs before they strike a light. Arsonists have been profiled as having low IQs and displaying immaturity, and many have not previously been in trouble with the law. Statistics show the number of child firebugs ­almost doubled in the past five years, with more than 1000 children aged from 10 to late teens arrested. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Debra Abbott said Frankston detectives ­allege a 15-year-old girl was ­responsible for the latest ­“intentional and deliberately lit” blaze. The community would not tolerate people setting fires, Ms Abbott said. “It’s always reckless and ill-thought-out behaviour,” she said. The fire took more than 300 firefighters to put out and prompted the evacuation of around 30 residents from Darnley Drive and Augusta Court in Carrum Downs. Next door to Mr Crozier, Chris Martin recalled Saturday’s panic starting with a “puff of smoke”. “Within 20 minutes the wind turned ... everything went up, that was the end of it.” Mr Martin said he was indebted to local firefighters. “If it wasn’t for the CFA, we’d be long gone,” he said. “They came in and saved us.” Mr Crozier’s wife, Julie Schumacher, said the person responsible should face the impact of the “stupid” choice to light a fire. “I’d like her to come and see the damage she’s caused to my house,” Ms Schumacher said. “What was she doing in the park on a 41 degree day?” The blaze was the first major test of the bushfire season, with dozens of homes at threat from the fire. Darney Drive resident Bec Brennan was at the movies when she received calls and texts about the blaze. “It was absolutely terrifying, I was bawling, I was a complete mess,” Ms Brennan said. “The thought of not ­having a home, and my poor dogs and cats dying inside a burning house, is gut-wrenching.” Ms Brennan’s partner Drew, a volunteer firefighter at Skye CFA, was the first to alert her of the fire. “We had no idea until it was too late. Thankfully a relative came and got our three dogs, that’s all she could grab,” she said. “The fire was just seconds away from burning the house down.” Police and an arson chemist have inspected Ms Brennan’s damaged property for clues. Ms Brennan commended the efforts of the CFA who saved her house. “The firefighters were amazing, they were running around for hours trying to put this fire out,” she said. “They’re true heroes, they’re just amazing.” Residents living in nearby Frankston North, Langwarrin and Skye were put on alert on Saturday afternoon as thick smoke blanketed the area after the blaze broke out on Blue Wren Rise in Carrum Downs about 2.40pm. Roads were filled with carloads of people trying to get out after reading the alert, which stated: “Leaving now is the safest option — conditions may get worse very quickly.” Four sheds and fencing also caught fire. The bushfire burnt out of control for almost four hours, damaging about 10 hectares of land. It was controlled by 7pm. “It travelled several kilometres in the first hour,” CFA Assistant Chief Officer Trevor Owen said. “A lot of embers were being thrown up in front of the fire, which caused a lot of concern.” He commended firefighters on their work, saying the outcome could have been a lot worse. “Firefighters have made a tremendous effort to get on top of it, on what has been a difficult day of extreme heat, low humidity and strong northerly winds. “It was a very, good outcome,” he said. Terry Nixon, who lives in Darnley Drive opposite the house which was damaged, said he fought back flames with a garden hose. “I just got the hose out and started watering it down. It was looking very scary for a while,” Mr Nixon said. “The house across the street from us has burnt out. It is the third time it has happened to that property, because it backs on to the reserve. “They only cleared it in the past week but it is still very dry around here. A lot of fuel.” Neighbour Ray Torpy, who also lives opposite the burnt reserve, said the fire just “took off” before his eyes. “It got close. It was just on the other side of the road,” he said. “It was about 12m in the air at one stage. I saw one small fire then it just took off. It was scary.” Some residents evacuated under the advice of Emergency Victoria, but others armed themselves with hoses and kept watch. Out of control blaze rips through Carrum Downs home CFA crews feared the worst ahead of a wind change. Groups of locals hosed down the perimeters of their properties with hoses. Some even wove hoses through their fences to spray dry grass on the other side. Father Jeremy Erickson said he saw “huge” flames flicking over the ridge just 50m from his home. “It was a huge flame. The whole area was thick with smoke,” he said. Pauline Pele and her partner Keith Martin loaded their car with important documents and their dog before fleeing. “I’m scared,” Ms Pele said on Saturday. “It’s so close we can see them dropping water on it from the house. It’s time to go.” Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said he expected the “dynamic” fire to burn for some time. Firefighters battled a second large grass fire on Saturday afternoon, near Terang in the state’s southwest. The Glenormiston South blaze was bought under control just after 4pm. Earlier in the day, homeowners in Glenormiston North, Glenormiston South, Noorat, Noorat East, Kolora were told to take shelter indoors as it was too late to leave. A total of 50 fires had been reported at 3.30pm, with most extinguished. Mr Lapsley said firefighters had seen the illegal use of barbecues during the day and urged people against using them. But overall, he said, “the community has been very responsible”. More than 30 crews will work through the night to extinguish hot spots and patrol overnight. But by shortly after 8.30pm, it was confirmed the blaze was under firefighters’ control. [e-mail] SCROLL DOWN FOR SATURDAY’S LIVE BLOG