They are thoughtless people and many of them derive a sick pleasure through their actions.

Fortunately on some occasions the arson is just a nuisance and an inconvenience.

However, in other instances the damage done by these fools is substantial and heartbreaking.

The Wangaratta Agricultural Society has been the victim of both types of arson in the past three years.

On Sunday, just a day after their show, which has been staged for more than 150 years, an historic building at the ground was torched.

Luckily, irreplaceable memorabilia was able to be saved from the flames thanks to the intervention of fire crews.

This is the fourth time in recent years, there has been a fire in the wake of the show and the damage has escalated over that period – from bins to horse stables to a building.

There is a suspicion, flagged by society president Bernie Evans,  that the same person is responsible for the spate of incidents.

Police have also noted that across Victoria there has been a correlation in timing between fires and shows.

This suggests there may be a link between those travelling the show circuit and the incidents.

With the spring show season in full swing across the Border and North East, that offers a stark warning to organisers of coming events at Rutherglen, Myrtleford and Albury.

For many years, show societies have battled to keep their events alive as changing times put pressure on stretched administrators fighting to maintain attendances.

They do not deserve to have this added stress.

Hopefully investigators nab the troublemakers and bring them before the courts.

It is bad enough that show societies are victims of such behaviour but there is also a broader concern that these firebugs will not stop at such a level.

Sadly that anxiety is only heightened when the torching corresponds with the emergence of bushfire season.