Evelyn Phillips, 20, of Shepparton, unsuccessfully applied for bail on Thursday, January 8 in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.
She is charged with intentionally causing a bushfire, arson, criminal damage by fire endangering life, and lighting a fire during the fire danger period.
A Shepparton police Criminal Investigation Unit detective told the court Ms Phillips allegedly lit fires near a homeless camp along the Jordan’s Bend track near The Boulevard in Shepparton on December 23, 2025.
Some of the fires were 700 square metres, and some were 250 square metres, with two of them merging.
Fire Rescue Victoria firefighters put out the fires.
The court heard she allegedly told people at the camp, “I’m going to burn you guys alive”.
She was allegedly captured on CCTV around the area at the time the fires were lit, and she was seen lighting a log near the camp.
The detective told the court the Ms Phillips was homeless, unemployed, and had the “intention of burning her associates alive”.
The court heard during Ms Phillips’ police interview she told police “she’d threatened to burn people before when she’s in a heightened state”.
The magistrate was urged not to give her bail due to the “catastrophic weather conditions” over the next few days.
The court heard she was also involved in a burglary and theft in Shepparton in November 2025.
Ms Phillips’ defence counsel told the court her client was an Aboriginal woman who had bipolar disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder.
She said Ms Phillips’ mental health issues had gotten worse and her drug use had escalated after her step dad died from a preventable death in custody in 2022.
The court heard from Ms Phillips’ mother, who told the court she was willing to support her, give her a stable place to live, and report her if she breached bail conditions.
However, Ms Phillips was refused bail with the magistrate saying Ms Phillips’ behaviour was “unpredictable and unstable”, while there were dry conditions around the area over the following days.
Ms Phillips will next face court in April for a committal mention.
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