House set ablaze as tensions mount over death

Narromine

Burnt out … the Narromine house where Tony Prince died. Photo: Belinda Soole

HOURS after the public order and riot squad left town, a house in which a man suspected of a robbery died four days ago was destroyed by fire and the local mayor was calling for calm.

Police and emergency services were called to the property in Narromine, 40 kilometres west of Dubbo, about 1.30am yesterday after reports a house was on fire.

The inside of the timber house was burnt out.

Members of the public order and riot squad had been sent to the area amid concerns about reprisal attacks, but the fire began after they left.

The residents of the house were not at home at the time and there were no injuries.

A local man, Tony Prince, 29, died at the property on Wednesday. Three Chinese nationals, believed to be fruit pickers, had arrived home to find the man on their property.

They told police he was trying to break in to their house, so they restrained him. When officers arrived, they found the man unconscious. CPR was performed but he later died in hospital.

An official from the Chinese consulate arrived on Thursday to provide assistance to the men, who had been relocated for their safety. They have been interviewed by police.

The mayor of Narromine, Bill McAnally, said rumours had exacerbated rising tensions in the town. ”The biggest concern at the moment is that there is a lot of rumours going around, as always happens in small towns,” he said. ”I’m a bit worried that tensions may rise a little bit. I think we’ve all got to remain calm and let police do their job and finish their inquiries.”

Mr Prince’s relatives said he had been kicking a football with his four-year-old daughter and was retrieving it from the yard when the residents confronted him. Police have not found a football.

The fire was being treated as suspicious, they said.

Ewen Jones, the captain of Narromine Fire and Rescue, said it had taken 15 men to get the blaze under control.

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