A 48-year-old man has been denied bail after being charged over allegedly lighting multiple fires in Sydney's iconic Royal National Park, as the region sweltered through a heatwave with high fire danger conditions.
Public tip-off leads to arrest
The incident began to unfold on the morning of Sunday, December 21. Members of the public first alerted police to a fire that had been lit off McKell Avenue in Waterfall around 8am. This blaze was situated approximately 500 metres from the intersection of Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.
At the time, nearby weather stations had forecast temperatures to climb into the high 20s, and authorities had declared a high fire danger rating for the area.
Second alleged attempt and charges laid
A short time later, police were called to a car park on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive. There, officers allegedly located the man near the site of a second fire that, fortunately, had failed to ignite.
The man was subsequently arrested and charged with three offences. The charges include two counts of setting fire to the property of another/Crown Land. He was also charged with possession of equipment for administering illicit drugs.
Court appearance and park's fiery history
The accused was initially refused bail and appeared at Sutherland Local Court on Monday, December 22. The court formally refused his release, and he is now scheduled to face Wollongong Local Court on January 13.
The Royal National Park, located south of Sydney, has a tragic history with bushfires. In September 2023, a blaze was described by authorities as "clearly suspicious." Just a month prior, in August 2023, hundreds of people required rescue when a bushfire erupted near Wattamolla.
This latest alleged incident serves as a stark reminder of the severe risk posed by deliberately lit fires, particularly during periods of extreme weather, to one of Australia's most beloved national parks.
