The satellite images are awful. The reports of the staggering number of animal losses, lives, the destruction, are heartbreaking. Now Australian police announce they suspect arson in some of the fires as they round up dozens of individuals:
New South Wales police announced Monday that they have arrested two dozen people for intentionally setting bushfires. At least 19 people have died and more than 2,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by blazes that have scorched 4.9 million hectares of land in New South Wales this season. Police said that in addition to the arson cases, they have found a lot of carelessness. Fifty-three people allegedly failed to comply with the total fire ban, and 47 people were accused of tossing a lighted cigarette or match on the ground. Some offenders could face up to 25 years in prison for property damage, life endangerment, and manslaughter.
So many of the fires were set intentionally or accidentally, fires set by man — and used exploitively attributed to climate change.
