Teenage firefighter volunteer charged after allegedly lighting seven fires
A teenage firefighter volunteer has been charged after allegedly lighting seven fires in NSW’s South Coast.
19-year-old Blake William Banner appeared in Bega Local Court on Wednesday as he was charged with seven counts of intentionally causing a fire.
The police alleged that the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteer deliberately lit seven fires in the Bega Valley between October 17 and November 26.
He was arrested at a fire shed in Tarraganda, east of Bega on Tuesday night. In a statement, police said they saw Banner sitting in a dual cab ute next to the Bega River earlier in the day and noticed fire in the area a short time later. Banner then allegedly returned to fight the blaze as an RFS volunteer.
The RFS said it had stood down Banner and had a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to arson.
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen firefighters going above and beyond in difficult and dangerous conditions,” NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
“Our members will be rightly angry that the alleged actions of one individual can tarnish the reputation and hard work of so many.
“This type of alleged behaviour is the ultimate betrayal of our own members, and of the broader community.”
Magistrate Doug Dick said the offences were “clearly serious” in an “incredibly dangerous time in our environment”.
Banner was granted conditional bail after posting a sum of $5,000. Some of the bail conditions include reporting to Bega police station once daily and attending psychological treatment. He is also banned from possessing any firefighting equipment or implements of any kind.
Banner is due to return to the Court on December 17.