Car arson fuels bush blazes

Firefighters have responded to more than 1200 car fires this year, with an average of about two a day deemed to be deliberate or suspicious.

Supt Craig Waters said fire crews had dealt with 679 deliberate or suspicious car fires in the year to December 9, with a further 233 cases undetermined.

"The surprising thing is that over half of car fires are deliberate and there is a high incidence of stolen vehicles being burnt to get rid of evidence," he said.

He said every shape, model and make of vehicle was a potential target for car fires.

"There's no real common car that's stolen, it's just an opportunistic crime when they are stolen and they get what they can take and they torch them," he said.

With the bushfire season in full swing, Supt Waters said it was crucial for the public to report suspicious behaviour to authorities to ensure a car fire did not evolve into something much more deadly.

"These fires are extremely dangerous, from our perspective, the cars are generally dumped in the bush so they can spark a bushfire very quickly which can escalate into an out of control and unpredictable fire which then threatens lives and property in the vicinity," he said.

In November, an abandoned car set on fire led to a bushfire that came within metres of homes in a South Hedland housing estate.

Supt Waters said the fires were also big time wasters for fire crews.

"They also tie up a lot of our resources, placing additional pressure on our resources that could be better utilised at legitimate emergencies," he said.

"The people who light these fires have a total disregard for the community and they have no regard for the consequences of their actions."

Rewards of up to $50,000 are available for information that leads to the identification and conviction of an arsonist.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.