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VICTORIA, Australia — Victoria’s former police commissioner says she is surprised by the conduct of a volunteer firefighter who has denied lighting one of the Black Saturday bushfires.
It is now almost three months since the fires swept across Victoria, claiming almost 200 lives.
Ron Philpott, 65, has fronted the media saying he was sick of the whispering about him and that he did not light any fire.
“I just want to clear my name, and that’s all I want to do. I’m a fireman, and I enjoy being a fireman,” he said.
“I fight fires, I don’t light fires. I’m out there to save people’s property and save people’s lives.”
Christine Nixon, who is heading up Victoria’s Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, says the investigation into the disaster is continuing.
“I’m not sure where that came from, he’s obviously decided that’s what he wanted to do and that’s what he’s done. It’s now for the community to judge what they think about what he’s said,” she said.
“In terms of the investigation that the Victoria Police were conducting before I left, they are still conducting it as I understand it.”
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