Fire scare for golf course residents
FIRE CREWS worked to protect homes at North Geelong after a suspicious grass fire saw flames reach 4m high.
It was one of a string of deliberately lit fires that kept the CFA busy on Sunday night, with a mattress, bin and debris all torched across Geelong’s north.
Firefighter Gavin Fitzgerald said it took crews about 2½ hours to extinguish a fire at the golf course off Thompson Rd, with officers forced to cut fences to stop the flames spreading, about midnight.
“The grass and scrub fire at Geelong Golf course was of concern,” he said.
“The fire was a large pile of trees and debris about 30m by 10m and put up smoke over the Weddell Rd area through to Coxon Pde in North Geelong, so much so that smoke alarms activated waking residents at Costa multicultural aged care facility.
“On arrival flames were 3-4m high and the potential risk was the fire threatening homes on Fairway Drive, but Corio CFA quickly brought the fire under control.”
Earlier in the night, a bin was set alight outside the North Shore train station just before 10pm.
A mattress was also torched behind Corio’s Aldi Supermarket near Broderick Rd shortly before 1am.
From next month, Crime Stoppers will begin releasing the names and images of wanted firebugs as part of a new campaign to hold law-breakers accountable.
The latest Crime Statistics Agency data shows 159 cases of arson were investigated across Greater Geelong in the year ending September 2017.
The region’s arson postcode hot spots include: 3214 with 45 cases, 3221 with 21, and 3219 with 19.
Most other areas experienced decreases in cases.
Anyone with information on deliberately lit fires across Greater Geelong is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.