A car fire just after midnight last night has been described as “a deliberate and malicious act” by Turvey Park Fire and Rescue Station Commander Jeff Edwards.
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At about 12.20am, Turvey Park Fire and Rescue and Wagga Police responded to reports for the fire at a park on Bruce Street, Tolland.
Firefighters took about 10 minutes to extinguish the fire and police established a crime scene following the containment.
Commander Edwards said that the fire was suspicious.
“Crew members had breathing apparatuses on and were able to get in close to extinguish it,” he said.
“Safety measures were in place to ensure no further exposure of the fire and leaking fuel.
“While the car is fully burnt out, police can still gather details from it.”
The fire brings the number car fires in Wagga to 54 for 2018 so far.
For the years 2016 and 2017, there were 97 and 104 incidents, respectively.
Commander Edwards said that the numbers were irrelevant as each incident still impacted the community and family involved.
“It’s the flow-on effects on the community,” he said.
“It may be a family’s only car and may not have been insured.
“Possessions inside the cars are also destroyed.”
He said the safety of the perpetrators are also compromised when the engage in these acts.
“If there is an injury, that compounds the situation,” he said.
In a statement, the station said “the crew quickly brought the fire under control but the vehicle was destroyed”.
“As the dry weather continues and summer approaches it’s important to report any fire like this quickly before they spread and possibly cause further damage,” the statement reads.
The latest incident comes after two Holden Commodores were targets of an arson attack in Bourkelands thsi week.
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