NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia (WSVN) — Police in New South Wales have charged 24 people with intentionally starting bushfires in Australia.
According to a police statement, since Nov. 8, the New South Wales Police Force has taken legal action against 183 people, including 40 juveniles, for bushfire-related offenses.
The actions range from cautions to criminal charges.
Among those charged include 24 people who have been charged for allegedly starting bushfires deliberately. Another 53 people have had legal action taken against them for failing to comply with a “total fire ban,” and 47 people have cited for “discarding a lighted cigarette or match on land.”
People convicted of the crimes can face a number of penalties, including:
- Damaging property with the intention of endangering life – up to 25 years imprisonment;
- Manslaughter – up to 25 years imprisonment;
- Starting a bushfire and being reckless as to its spread – up to 21 years imprisonment;
- Lighting a fire when a total fire ban is in place – up to 12 months imprisonment and/or a $5500 fine;
- Not putting out a fire that you have lit – up to 12 months imprisonment and/or a $5500 fine;
- Failing to comply with a bush fire hazard reduction notice – up to 12 months imprisonment and/or a $5500 fine;
- Light or use a tobacco product within 15 meters of any stack of grain, hay corn, straw or any standing crop, dry grass or stubble field – up to a $5500 fine.
Wildfires have ravaged parts of the country, killing at least 25 people, including 18 people in New South Wales. Over 2,000 homes have been destroyed and millions of animals and livestock have been killed.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.