Black Saturday: Why is Wildfire Arson Common?
On the 7th of February 2009, Australia faced what was later described as its worst natural disaster. In the town of Churchill, local inspectors found reasons to investigate.
On February 7th 2009, Australia experienced its worst natural disaster. The weeks-long intense heat and gale force winds culminated in 400 separate wildfires which ended up taking 173 lives.
In the town of Churchill, detectives began an investigation which led them to believe that one man, driving a sky-blue sedan, may be responsible for 10 of those deaths.
After the arrest, detectives quickly realised that the man in their custody was not who they thought they'd be dealing with.
On this episode of Bad People, presenters Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss wildfire arson, the dubious origin of the link between sex and fire and how we can tell when someone is malingering.
Archive credits: This episode includes audio from ABC, Inside The Mind of An Arsonist.
Presenters: Dr. Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen
Producer: Simona Rata
Music: Matt Chandler
Series Editor: Rami Tzabar
Commissioning Producer: Hannah Rose
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps
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Bad People
True crime stories and insights into why people do bad things.
