Australian Court. [Source: TVNZ]

Four men who allegedly started an illegal campfire that burned through almost half of the world heritage-listed Fraser Island in Queensland have been charged.

Police arrested the four men in Maryborough yesterday, while a teenager will also be dealt with over the incident.

The men – aged in their 20s – face charges relating to the lighting of an unauthorised campfire that was not properly extinguished.

It’s alleged Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services rangers were alerted to an illegal campfire in a camp zone on Eastern Beach on October 14.

The rangers found a campfire covered in sand but still radiating heat.

The fire took hold, burning about 87,000 hectares of the island over nearly two months.