Queensland Police have called on the public to help locate a man who may be able to help with an investigation into a house fire which completely destroyed a home.
Fire crews, paramedics and police attended a suspicious house fire at Bowen Street, Maryborough in the state’s Fraser Coast region at about 4.30pm on Friday.
While no one was injured in the major blaze, the home was “well alight” once emergency crews attended the property.
Authorities released footage on Monday of a man who was filmed on CCTV going into the property around the time of the blaze.
The owners of the home are not accused of any involvement or wrongdoing.
Detectives from Maryborough Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) have now appealed for information, or dashcam vision of March Street and Kent Street between 4.30pm and 5pm on Friday.
The man in the CCTV footage has been described as being Caucasian in appearance, and was wearing dark shirt and shorts at the time of the incident.
Separately, on Monday, Queensland Police also launched Operation Victor over a series of 12 suspicious fires in the Western Downs area of the state between January and April.
The fires are not beleived to be connected to the Maryborough house fire.
The bushfires affected more than 4600 hectares of land, with 13 homes lost in the blazes.
Occurring across Tara and Wieambilla, police believe seven of the fires were deliberately lit between January 29 and 30, plus one fire on February 4 and February 12, and three smaller fires on April 17.
A large multi-day blaze on February 12 resulted in the loss of 12 homes alone, and required an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act.
While no one was seriously injured in the fires, several people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Authorities believe the person, or persons involved in the blazes may live in the Wieambilla area. An early 90s, white Toyota LandCruiser was also sighted at several scenes, with police imploring the community to contact police immediately, if they have any information.
Detective Superintendent Craig McGrath said deliberately lit bushfires can have “catastrophic consequences” in terms of the loss of life, and on the greater community.
“Bushfires are a natural occurrence which play an important role in the sustainability of our environment – however the intentional starting of bushfires poses a significant risk to the public including the threat to life, property, the environment and wildlife,” he said.
“There are heavy penalties for people convicted of arson, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
“We urge anyone who has information, no matter how small, to come forward and help us put those responsible before the court.”
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