National

Former NSW volunteer charged over deliberately lit fire

By AAP Newswire

Feb 22, 2023

NSW Rural Fire Service uniform (file) — A Rural Fire Service volunteer will face court accused of deliberately starting a fire. -AAP Image

A 33-year-old NSW man is accused of deliberately lighting a fire before turning up at the blaze as a volunteer firefighter to help extinguish it.

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Police say a Rural Fire Service crew member from the Riverina extinguished a small grass fire about seven kilometres west of Wagga Wagga in the early hours of December 11.

The blaze was deemed suspicious and referred to police for investigation.

In January detectives from strike force Madrer began examining a number of suspicious fires from December and January in the Wagga area.

They arrested a local man on February 9 and charged him with intentionally causing a fire and making a false call to an emergency service number.

Police will allege in court the man deliberately lit the fire and was part of the volunteer crew that extinguished it.

The man is also accused of making numerous false calls to triple zero to report other fires in the area which either did not exist or were already contained.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Wagga Wagga Local Court on Wednesday.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press