Mrs Hoban said she and a group of neighbours who lived near Torulosa Way used hoses and buckets to extinguish a fire that had been deliberately lit in a vacant lot at about 9.30pm on Sunday.

Mrs Hoban said she saw a blue car pull up near the block a short time before the fire started and return a short time after it was extinguished.

“Who ever did it had piled up Christmas crackers and then they may have thrown petrol on it because it was very loud. We were alerted to it because of a big boom,” she said.

“We’re used to people around here lighting fires, but this one was close to some trees.”

Mrs Hoban said she was worried the fire could have ignited trees and scrub and threatened her own home.

“I was worried about what could have happened,” she said.

Mrs Hoban said children often lit fires and waited until the fire brigade came to extinguish it.

“Lighting fires is entertainment for them, they usually start doing it more once the school holidays start,” she said.

Mrs Hoban wants more fire prevention initiatives, including mandatory maintenance of grass in residential areas.