Boys seen fleeing bushfire area: police

Two teenage boys lit a fire in a dry creek bed on Black Saturday that spread to kill
one man and destroy dozens of homes, police claim.
As locals near Bendigo in central Victoria fought to save their homes from the
February 7, 2009 blaze, two youths were seen walking out of the bushland near the
source of smoke, court documents allege.
Police say the same two boys had earlier lit a fire in a creek bed at nearby Maiden
Gully.
Kevin "Mick" Kane, 47, died in the fire which caused $23.5 million damage to houses,
farm land and machinery.
Two boys, now aged 15 and 16, were committed to stand trial in a children's court on
Tuesday, on charges including arson causing death.
Each boy is also facing more than 100 counts of arson.
Both have pleaded not guilty.
A heavily censored police summary of evidence for the case was released to the media
on Tuesday.
It alleges the boys were responsible for lighting a fire in the dry creek bed near
Bracewell St, Maiden Gully.
That fire then spread along the creek to the south-east and resulted in the death of
Mr Kane, police allege.
The 350-hectare fire destroyed 61 homes and 125 sheds or outbuildings.
Police say phone records indicate that the mobile phone of one of the boys made 55
calls to emergency service numbers between January 8, 2009 and April 7, 2009.
The boys were together when a large number of the calls were made, they say.
"Police will allege that these calls to (the emergency services) were made to
harass, offend and menace the emergency call operators," the summary states.
The boys, who are on bail, are expected to face trial next year.