Man charged over 13 Tablelands fires

Police have charged a man in relation to a series of fires they allege were deliberately lit in the Mareeba area on Tuesday.

Detectives from the Mareeba Rural and Stock Crime Squad and the Tablelands Criminal Investigation Branch have charged a 37-year-old man in relation to 13 fires.

Police and emergency services were called to 13 fires between early afternoon and evening around Mareeba, Chewko, and Biboohra.

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Some of the fires burned close to properties and several were evacuated.

Police also made an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act. The declaration was revoked as the situation improved around nightfall.

Investigators said the cause of the fires was suspicious, due to the number of outbreaks and the significant distance between them.

Police said they executed a search warrant at a property on Narcotic Creek Road at Chewko on Wednesday, where a 37-year-old local man was taken into custody.

He has been charged with 13 counts of setting fire to vegetation and is due to appear in Mareeba Magistrates Court.

Police thanked the community for assisting their investigation and encouraged people with information or video to contact them.