Police close in on arsonist responsible for Churchill fires in Victoria

Police close in on arsonist responsible for Churchill fires in Victoria
NEWS.com.au
February 10, 2009

Insurance Australia

POLICE are hunting down the arsonist believed to have been responsible for lighting the worst of the Victoria fires.

Police have confirmed that they believe they know the identity of the man who allegedly contributed to the Churchill-Jeeralang blaze in Gippsland.  Twenty-one people have died in that region.

But the Country Fire Authority said the firefront could have included towns further north, including Kinglake, St Andrews and Strathewen, where dozens more died in the firestorm.

It's expected police will release an image in the next couple of days of a man sought for questioning over the fires.

"We'll soon be in a position to provide face images of people we believe responsible," Morwell Detective Sergeant Brett Kahan said.

Deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe has refused to confirm reports police have been given a video tape to help their investigation but she told ABC Television they're confident they're making progress.

Task Force Phoenix has been established to lead the investigation with 100 police looking into all fire-related deaths.

The task force will be headed by Crime Department Assistant Commissioner Dannye Moloney who was involved in similar investigations during the 1983 Ash Wednesday bush fires.

Fire criminologist Dr Damon Muller said more than one arsonist would have been responsible for the Victorian fires.

He said the number of fires burning in the state - up to 400 over the weekend - pointed to multiple arsonists.

"It would be surprising if some of them were not deliberately lit, just by virtue of the significant number," Dr Muller said.

Profiling an arsonist is as difficult as controlling the fires they start, according to psychologists. But in general they are likely to be male, a loner, live outside the community but love to watch their handiwork.