Seven suspicious fires rage in WA's far north

At least seven bushfires, suspected to be deliberately lit, have ignited across Western Australia's far north in just 36 hours, prompting a significant response from authorities and local station owners. The fires have threatened lives, livestock, and infrastructure, with one blaze coming perilously close to the Barn Hill Station, a well-known tourist destination. Janice Bell, owner of Barn Hill Station, described the situation as "horrendous," recounting how truck drivers alerted her to multiple flare-ups on Wednesday morning. Upon inspection, she discovered three fires ignited at 20-kilometer intervals, a pattern she deemed "nasty work" and not attributable to natural causes like lightning or accidental burn-offs. Bell noted that the station's firebreaks were ineffective against the speed of the blazes, exacerbated by dry conditions and strong easterly winds. The fires rapidly reached the coast, covering 10 kilometers in a short period. The consequence of such fires, Bell added, includes the difficult decision of putting down injured domestic animals and wildlife. Nearby, workers at Anna Plains station were also engaged in battling an out-of-control fire. Station manager David Stoate expressed suspicion that the same individual might be responsible for multiple incidents, describing it as "running amok on a very windy day." He hopes police can apprehend the culprit to prevent further resource drain. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Kimberley superintendent, Glenn Hall, stated that responding to these suspicious fires places an unnecessary strain on already stretched resources.

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But when someone lights three fires in a row at those small intervals, that's not nice, that's nasty work.