LOUISVILLE, Ky., (WDRB and AP) -- As flames continue to scorch parts of Australia, police there have charged 24 people with deliberately setting fires.
Police in New South Wales said that they have "taken legal action against more than 180 people for bushfire-related offences since late last year."
So far, the wildfires have scorched an area twice the size of the U.S. state of Maryland. The blazes have killed 25 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. The fires, fueled by drought and the country’s hottest and driest year on record, have been raging since September, months earlier than is typical for Australia’s annual wildfire season.
The New South Wales Police Force also said in a news release that the fires have destroyed hundreds of millions of animals and livestock.
Besides the 24 arrests, police said that they have taken legal action against 53 people for allegedly failing to comply with the total fire ban and against 47 people for allegedly discarding lit cigarettes or matches on land.
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