Australia and the Pacific Australia Steve Irwin's widow blamed over bush fire on eco reserve
Terri Irwin, the widow of the 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, has been blamed for allegedly failing to prevent a bushfire which has ravaged large parts of an eco reserve named in her late husband's honour.
Terri Irwin Photo: GETTY IMAGES Up to half of the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Queensland was reported to be on fire.

One neighbour told the magazine Woman's Day that the blaze had turned the area into an "animal graveyard".

The reserve spans 330,000 acres - four times the size of Sydney's city centre - and was given to Mrs Irwin by the Australian government following her husband's death in 2006. Irwin is believed to have been buried somewhere in the reserve.

Cameron Quartermaine alleged that Mrs Irwin was to blame for the fire because he claimed she had neglected the land.

He claimed: "The damage can be greatly reduced with a strict fire regime, but her land has been left largely untouched."

Mr Quartermaine described the burnt land as an "animal graveyard", with the fire having already killed many threatened species that the late Irwin campaigned to protect.

"It's a major environmental disaster," Mr Quartermaine told the magazine.

Mrs Irwin's conservation manager, Barry Lyon, confirmed to Woman's Day the property was on fire but said only 20 per cent of the land had been destroyed. He denied Mrs Irwin was to blame for the fire.

"It's hard to say who is responsible, but more than likely it will be pig hunters, trying to clear land to make it easier for them to hunt."

Steve Irwin died three years ago aged 44 when he was stung by a stingray while filming at the Great Barrier Reef.