A man has been charged after allegedly lighting a fire which IS currently out of control in the state's Northern Tablelands.
About 10.30pm yesterday (Thursday 14 November 2019), emergency services responded to reports of a fire threatening the township of Ebor, 80km north-east of Armidale.
Officers attached to New England Police District attended and commenced an investigation.
Following inquiries, police arrested a 51-year-old Ebor man just after 2pm today (Friday 15 November 2019).
The man was taken to Armidale Police Station where he was charged with intentionally cause fire and be reckless to its spread.
Police will allege in court that the man lit the fire as an attempt to back burn for the protection of a cannabis crop and perceived benefit from recovery work after the fire and made no attempt to control the blaze.
He was refused bail to appear at Armidale Local Court tomorrow (Saturday 16 November 2019).
Investigations continue.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages
