The fire has burned 47,000 hectares (180 square miles) and destroyed several houses, but no injuries or deaths have been reported in the blaze. It was downgraded from the highest emergency category on Wednesday. The Defense Department declined to comment on the investigators findings, but had earlier confirmed that an explosive ordnance training exercise was conducted Oct. 16. The Defense Department was also investigating any link between the exercise and the fire.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.firstpost.com/world/military-exercise-triggers-more-than-100-forest-fires-in-australia-1189769.html
Military exercise sparked largest of wildfires ravaging Australian state, investigators say
“It wasn’t deliberate; it was a side effect of a routine activity, it would appear, and clearly there was no intention to see fire start up and run as a result of that activity,” Fitzsimmons said. “There is no conspiracy here.” Meanwhile, police said a pilot helping fight a fire near Ulladulla, south of Sydney, was killed when his fixed-wing aircraft crashed in a remote area Thursday morning. The 43-year-old man was the only person on board. “We are trying to recover the pilot from the scene but are being challenged by weather conditions and nearby fire,” New South Wales police Superintendent Joe Cassar told reporters in Nowra, a city near Ulladulla.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://news.yahoo.com/military-exercise-sparked-largest-wildfires-ravaging-australian-state-045203530.html