Teen firefighter is among dozens accused of igniting fires that have ravaged Australia

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Australia fires: Over 1 billion animals believed dead Experts say an estimated 480 million animals are believed dead from the Australian wildfires since September 2019.

A teenage volunteer firefighter is among two dozen people accused of lighting some of the historic fires that have raged across Australia since September.

This fire season, police have taken legal action – ranging from cautions to charges –against almost 200 people in New South Wales alone. That includes 24 people charged with deliberately lighting bushfires, 53 accused of failing to comply with the fire ban and 47 accused of discarding a lit cigarette or match.

The Rural Fire Service said Blake Banner, 19, was charged in connection with seven fires in October and November in an area south of Sydney. Hundreds of fires have devastated about 25,000 square miles of southeastern Australia.

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Police said investigators became suspicious of Banner after the teen was among the early first responders to arrive at a fire. Later, he was seen sitting in a vehicle shortly before a fire was reported nearby.

"Our members will be rightly angry that the alleged actions of one individual can tarnish the reputation and hard work of so many," New South Wales Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

Deputy NSW Police Commissioner Gary Worboys said not all the blazes were ignited intentionally, but the crisis has prompted a zero-tolerance approach to fire activity.

"I know a lot of them were doing things like using fireworks or lighting fires to camp or cook food," he said. "We make no apologies for being so vigilant."

Australia's fire season usually runs from December to March, but record-breaking heat in 2019 coupled with lingering drought and high winds brought the first fire much earlier. The blazes have killed at least 25 people, destroyed 2,000 homes and swept away about 500 million animals.

The financial costs are rising fast. Insurers have received almost 9,000 claims since September from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, said Insurance Council of Australia CEO Rob Whelan.

Blood-red skies, heavy smoke block pilots' view of Australia bushfires Blood-red skies filled the air as New South Wales Rural Fire Service said 136 fires burned across the state on January 6.

He said claims have reached $450 million in U.S. dollars and about 20% of those claims have been paid.

"Many more claims are expected to be lodged in coming days and weeks," Whelan said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison committed $1.4 billion to the recovery effort.

The fire season is far from over. Scores of U.S. firefighters joined the international effort to combat the fires. The Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center said it assigned at least 83 fire personnel to Australia, including 37 in New South Wales and 44 in neighboring Victoria.

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