Australian volunteer firefighter charged with arson

SYDNEY - An Australian volunteer firefighter was arrested on Tuesday and charged with deliberately starting seven fires over a period which encompassed Australia's recent deadly bushfire emergency.

Police allege that the man lit a fire in bushland on Tuesday evening before returning to respond to the fire as part of his duties as a volunteer firefighter, shortly after which he was taken into custody.

The 19-year-old man, who is a member of the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service, is accused of starting seven fires in total in the Bega Valley area of southern NSW between Oct 17 and Nov 26.

On Tuesday evening, police investigating the unusual fire activity spotted a man whom they believe to be the defendant in an area of secluded bushland where shortly afterwards a fire broke out.

The man was arrested at a local NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) outpost and appeared in court on Wednesday charged with seven counts of cause fire and be reckless to its spread.

Earlier in the month, out of control fires took the lives of four people and destroyed over 500 homes across northern NSW.

NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said that the accused arsonist has been stood down from his duties as a volunteer member.

"Over the past few weeks, we've seen firefighters going above and beyond in difficult and dangerous conditions. Our members will be rightly angry that the alleged actions of one individual can tarnish the reputation and hard work of so many," Fitzsimmons said.

"Arson is a dangerous and criminal act. It isn't tolerated by society. And it's not tolerated by the RFS, or our members."