On Wednesday around 9am I was returning home from walking the pound puppies and noticed smoke in the yard of our neighbour Kim across the street. The house seemed deserted, no cars, but I went over and knocked on the door, walked around to the other side, called out. No one home. I think Kim and her adult son must be away, I’ve noticed no cars there for days.
I could see actual flames as the fire was burning up the long grass down the yard and I was worried about the surrounding bushland and houses nearby, so I dialled 000 and reported the fire. Then I got out of my stinky dog clothes and started to get ready for work. A short time after I finished in the shower I noticed the firetruck had arrived and a couple of men were putting out the fire. They were there for a long time, very thorough.
Last year the rural fire brigade had done a door knock in our street, warning us about the woman who lives a couple of houses away from us (next door to Kim actually). This woman has been known to set fires, at least two others that I know of including one in Kim’s front yard (it killed a lovely old gum tree). The scorch marks rather suspiciously originate from the shared fence line between this woman’s and Kim’s properties, so it seems she is at it again.
We’ve noticed a couple of For Sale signs on this woman’s fence in recent weeks, one of them recently acquired a “Sold” sticker. Maybe this means we will soon be losing our firebug.