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The Torquay Crime Investigation Unit believe the unknown offender used accelerant to start the fire before it burnt out earlier this week.<\/p>\n
Police expressed their concerns about the fire\u2019s location which was near a powerline and could cause greater damage to surrounding bushlands and structures if the fire spread.<\/p>\n
It is believed to be the thirteenth fire started by the unknown offender and follows a January 27 blaze at Deep Creek Park resulting in an estimated $40,000 worth of damage to a public playground.<\/p>\n
Since the initial Grandview fire on October 27, several scrub and structure fires have been reported within a four-kilometre radius, and Sgt Duncan Frame said CIU believed the incidents were related.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to treat it as linked based on the location and it appears some accelerate was used which is similar to some of the other fires,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A pattern has yet to be identified following six weeks of no suspicious fires in the area.<\/p>\n
Despite releasing official CCTV footage and urging locals to come forward with information, Sgt Frame confirmed police had yet to receive any intel that can be linked to a suspect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have had some members of the community providing little bits of information, but nothing has panned out as of yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Police believe the suspect is a local known to someone within the community causing investigators to appeal to anyone with information.<\/p>\n
If you have any information in relation to this fire or know the identity of the person responsible contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppers.com.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
POLICE are again appealing to the public for information after discovering another suspicious fire within Torquay. A small scrub fire was located behind a \u2018welcome to Torquay\u2019 sign on the Surf Coast Highway and is believed to be linked to a spate of suspicious fires in the Deep Creek area since October 2020. The Torquay […]<\/p>\n