Half of australias 30,000 bushfires are lit by arsonists.

Another 30 homes lost in Victoria.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...013404,00.html

Why the hell do so many people need to go around doing something that can kill? Yobs, bored, mental problems? thrillseekers, plain furking nutcases??

Have you noticed they only seem to do it in the hot weather. Never in winter. It would be bad at anytime of the year but especially now

Unfortunately some of them join as volunteer firies and get bored. To prove their new-found skills they start a fire so they can put it out.

Some volunteers I have had to work with were a few diamonds short of a tiara. Often well-meaning but a bit dillusional.

thank goodness they cant start cyclones or floods.

WW

Round here some bored teens started a fire, nothing too small, a harvey norman superstore, spotlight superstore and basically the entire block went up.

I find this attitude offensive. Would you go down your local station and say this?

Most arsonists are not firees.

It makes you wonder whether there is a terrorist threat to Australia at all. The easiest way to terrorise Australians is to set bush fires. Maybe these are caused by Al Qaeda.

It could be the sharks? I think they have a plan......

I would hope not! Mostly kids and seriously deranged people I would think. After the guy threw his kid off the bridge nothing surprises me anymore.

But I know of one case where a volunteer was starting fires so he could escape his wife!

Today, it'll mostly be lightning strikes. A storm went over NE Vic last night leaving a few fires in its wake. There's a storm passing over us now so I suspect there'll be a few call outs later today or tomorrow.

They wouldn't last a week in my brigade. We're pretty strict on conduct and attitude

Me too. I bet there are a hell of a lot more bent coppers than there are firestarting volunteer firefighters yet how many people, on meeting a cop accuse them of being bent.

It really pisses me off.

No they're not but some are unfortunately. Just the same in the UK.

When the morons do it in the UK it's not quite so serious thank god but still too many farmers lose a lot of their livelihood. I don't understand why they do it, but it's like the morons who call an ambulance 'for a laugh' - they are either just morons or they honestly don't understand the consequences.

Here however, anyone who lobs a butt out of a car window or purposely lights a fire has no excuse and should have the book thrown at them.

On SBS last night they said the latest 30 odd houses lost were a result of a
deliberate fire. No act of nature someones 'bit of fun'

An incident investigator asks us to note suspicious activity in bystanders like hands in pockets.

He's found 'DNA' samples at point of fire origin..

Wood has DNA in it.