Elderly couple found dead in their home after it is destroyed by raging bushfires, police believe the fire was 'deliberately lit'
An elderly couple has reportedly lost their lives after bushfires swept across northern New South Wales earlier this week.
Human remains were found on Thursday, October 10, inside the Coongbar residence of a 77-year-old man and 69-year-old woman, according to Australian police. Meanwhile, a number of residents are still missing, stated a report by The Guardian.
The Rural Fire Service revealed on Thursday afternoon that at least eight houses in Drake and 21 homes in the neighboring Busbys Flat were destroyed in the flames.
According to authorities, the fire that ripped through the Rappville area this week may have been deliberately lit, with NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott describing it as a truly "b**tard act".
Meanwhile, the Long Gully fire is not being treated as suspicious as it is believed to have been started by a lightning strike. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons described the deaths as a "tragic, horrible" outcome.
"[It's] a truly sobering reminder of the ferocity of these dangerous and destructive fires that we have seen burning across northern NSW for months now," he said.
Superintendent Toby Lindsay spoke to reporters in Rappville on Thursday, where at least 11 homes were destroyed. "We are worried about a number of people," Lindsey said.
"We always hope for the best but we've obviously got to treat it at its worst. We've seen the devastation in town. It's a very large fire and it's still active," he shared.
Robert Mustow, the Mayor of Richmond Valley, urged locals to report their losses to the concerned authorities. "We have still got some people missing and the longer that goes on the more concerning it gets," Mustow told ABC TV.
"I would ask people, if you've vacated your property, please go down to the evacuation center (and) register." Mustow also acknowledged how the loss of a local timber mill would affect 30 employees and have a "big impact on our community".
As of now, a strike force has been formed by the NSW police and fire investigators in a bid to determine the exact cause of the fire.
"In the absence of any other obvious cause, we always default to being suspicious, and we work through a very thorough process," Fitzsimmons told the Nine Network. "We've got to call it out – it's a heinous crime, a criminal act."
At least 21 homes have been destroyed between the Busbys Flat and Drake fires, which merged together in recent days and burned close to 115,000 hectares. Out of the 21 homes, 15 were in the Rappville region while the others were destroyed by the Drake blaze.