I don’t understand the continuing problem of people who apparently deliberately light fires in high alert conditions. It seems that every time a bush fire occurs the media state that “it is believed that the fire was deliberately lit”. This always leads me to the vision of some niffer pulling up on the side of the road, grabbing a lighter or matches, lighting up a tuft of grass and driving off.

Is this an accurate picture of the meaning of deliberately lit? Or is it people who are starting fires to burn off some rubbish around their house and it gets out of control and spreads?

I have a suspicion that it is the first reason, which is just horrendous.

What I would like changed is that media outlets are not allowed to report that fires are deliberately lit without having first hand knowledge of it. I have a feeling that the confirmation to firebugs that other firebugs are lighting fires and having a merry old time doing it, can be enough to spur others on to do it themselves. Sort of a green light to carnage. It would seem unlikely to me that these separate firebugs all have the same idea at the same time.

One thing is for sure these people should be strung up by their starboard testicle, in my opinion.