A man accused of deliberately lighting a fire in bushland in New England has been detained for a mental health assessment after he appeared in Inverell Local Court.
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Police arrested Christopher Daff on Wednesday, August 16 after emergency services were called to Pallal Road, Pallal, about 15km west of Bingara, following reports of a fire on the side of the road.
Police patrols in the Pallal Road area located a man walking out of Benbraggie State Forest on Killarney Gap Road, Pallal where further fires were allegedly deliberately lit.
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Members of the Rural Fire Service (RFS) attended the fire and extinguished the blaze which burnt an estimated 40ha. No property was destroyed.
The 33-year-old is facing charges of cause, or set fire to, the property of another, or crown, and intentionally cause fire and be reckless to its spread.
He was refused bail and no plea was recorded.
Due to mild and favourable conditions, fire crews were able to contain the blaze, which includes 10 ha burnt at Pallal Road and a series of smaller separate fires.
The area is being monitored and controlled daily by crews and is considered under control, and there are no active operations in process.
It has been predicted that an early fire season is likely for parts of Australia with former Australian firefighter Greg Mullins saying a lot of grass cover has dried out in recent months.
The bushfire danger period for many parts of New England came into effect on August 1.
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