One day after her husband was honoured with a commemorative dollar coin, Terri Irwin is being attacked over an out-of-control bushfire at the suspected site of the Crocodile Hunter's secret burial ground.
Neighbouring land owners of the far north Queensland Cape York wilderness, named the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, are
blaming mismanagement of the property for allowing the bushfire to take hold, Woman's Day magazine reports.
The land, about 400 times the size of Sydney's CBD, was gifted to Terri Irwin by the federal government.
But local grazier and neighbour Cameron Quartermaine told Woman's Day Ms Irwin has no one but herself to blame.
"The damage can be greatly reduced with a strict fire regime, but her land has been left largely untouched," he said.
The magazine says more than half the property known as "Steve's Place" continued to burn on Sunday.
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 said.
Ms Irwin's conservation manager Barry Lyon confirmed to Woman's Day the property was on fire but said only 20 percent of the land had been destroyed.
"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."
The news comes one day after Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin celebrated Steve Irwin Day at Australia Zoo, north of Brisbane, where Ms Irwin became an Australian citizen.
At the celebration on Sunday, Steve Irwin was commemorated with his face on the $1 coin.
- AAP
