Police arrest man after fire series

Midland Detectives with the assistance of Arson Squad have charged a 50-year-old man after a series of fires in Guildford and Midland on Thursday, 4 November 2021.

It will be alleged around 1pm, the man set fire to scrub in front of a property on Fauntleroy Street, East Guildford. The ensuing fire caused damage to the surrounding scrub and a water metre nearby.

Around 1.05pm, it is alleged the man lit a fire in the long grass behind a hostel on Fauntleroy Street. The fire spread across the grass and shrubbery, destroying a City of Swan rubbish bin before spreading underneath a Subaru XV that parked at that location.

It is further alleged around 1.10pm, the man entered the East Guildford train station from Fauntleroy Street and started a fire in the garden shrubbery at that location. The fire caused damage to the shrubbery.

It will also be alleged around 1.45pm, the man was walking past a vacant block on Victoria Street, Midland when he started a fire in the long grass which quickly spread through grass and foliage on the vacant block before being extinguished by Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

The 50-year-old man from Fremantle is due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court (Northbridge) today, 6 November 2021 charged with:-

• Four counts of Wilfully Light or Cause to be Lit a Fire Likely to Injure or Damage; and

• Two counts of Stealing.

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