A 76-year-old man who accidentally started a bushfire that burned nearly 200 hectares at Hargraves in January was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond in Mudgee Local Court on Wednesday.
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Donald Hosie of Wallawaugh Road, Hargraves, pleaded guilty to the charge of ‘Cause or set fire to the property of another, or Crown’.
On Tuesday, January 8, 2013, a statewide total fire ban was in place due to high temperatures and strong winds expected throughout the day.
Between 10.30 and 11am Hosie was doing metalwork on the verandah of his house with an angle grinder and drill press with no barrier to stop sparks or metal filings from entering nearby long, dry grass.
He noticed fire in the adjacent area and threw a bucket of water onto it in an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish it.
The fire spread quickly and Hosie contacted emergency services.
Conditions meant that the blaze spread to neighbouring properties.
Hosie admitted to police that he’d started the fire and that although he wasn’t aware of the total fire ban he acknowledged that they were dangerous conditions.
The bushfire went on to burn a 198ha area and took days to put out, even requiring the services of around seven water-bombing aircraft.
Hosie’s solicitor, Ms Lalich, told the court that her client clearly didn’t deliberately start the fire but is remorseful for his actions and accepts that it was a burden on firefighters.
Magistrate Michael Allen said that while the fire was an accident it was a dangerous and costly one.
“Your moral culpability is reduced because it was not deliberate or intentionally lit, and I can see that you are genuinely remorseful,” he said.
“But the consequences were potentially catastrophic and it engaged firefighters in a long battle at a significant cost to the community.”
