George Town blaze caused by 11yo boys playing with fire, police say
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Two 11-year-old boys who set cardboard on fire did not intend to cause a blaze in Tasmania's north last week, which took four aircraft and 60 ground crew to bring under control, police say.
The George Town fire, which burnt through 12 hectares and caused an emergency evacuation of the area on Tuesday, took four aircraft and 60 ground .
The boys, who have not been identified, will be proceeded against under the Youth Justice Act as well as receive education from Tasmania Police and the Tasmanian Fire Service.
The pair had been lighting cardboard on fire which they then attempted to extinguish, Inspector Michael Johnston said.
"Our understanding, and this is supported by the findings of the fire investigators, is that they were playing with cardboard," he said.
"Once they lit it, they let it burn a bit and put it out. Unfortunately they left the area then and the cardboard was still smouldering.
"At this time of the year as we well know, grass there is very volatile and prone to quick fire."
Inspector Michael Johnston urged parents to educate children about fire safety.
"Children are going to be children so we need to educate them about the dangers of this sort of activity," he said.
"They're going to be curious, but the consequences and we've seen a classic example of it in this case."
Topics: fires, disasters-and-accidents, law-crime-and-justice, george-town-7253
