A TEENAGER who deliberately lit 10 fires in grassland and bush across the Hunter - and who drove his friends to spots where they started three others - attended some of the blazes as part of the emergency response, according to court documents.
Jack Hardidge, now 19, was charged last August over 13 fires, while he was an active member of the Maitland Vale/Luskintyre Rural Fire Service brigade.
A statement of agreed facts was tendered at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday, where Magistrate Ian Rodgers set a sentencing date of August 14 for the Aberglasslyn man.
Hardidge has been on bail while the charges have been before the court - $20,000 surety was put up on his behalf. He has pleaded guilty to several counts.
According to the statement of facts, Hardidge and a group of friends collected rubbish - including tyres, plastic and organic matter - into a pile in bush off Government Circuit at Kearsley and set it alight on June 18, before they burned a stack of tyres at the base of an abandoned chimney at Abernethy.
They then set fire to a partially burnt-out car in scrub about 500m from Kearsley fire station.
That blaze spread into surrounding bush.
About a month later, Hardidge drove along a fire trail on Parker Street at Weston where he set fire to the grass. A man walking his dog saw Hardidge's vehicle leave the scene.
Less than two hours later, Hardidge started another fire in bush behind Red Rooster at Kurri Kurri. He was spotted again leaving the area - this time the witness got a picture of his vehicle.
Hardidge was involved in the ignition of four fires the following day. First he lit some grassland at Pelaw Main at about 10.40am, then he drove a friend up a fire trail near Clark Street at Weston where the friend started a fire near Hebburn Dam. His car was again spotted leaving the scene.
At about midday, he drove another friend to a spot at Mulbring where the friend lit a fire. The pair went up Mount Sugerloaf and watched on.
Then, just before 3pm, he drove the friend who started the Pelaw Main fire to Bellbird, where he set some more bush alight.
Hardidge continued his destructive streak on July 29, when he set fire to grassland near Hollingshed Street at Greta - that fire burned five acres and came within 200m of the back of several homes.
He responded in his role as an RFS volunteer to fight a fire he started near Redgum Circuit at Aberglasslyn on July 30 and did so again after he lit a dumped mattress at Melville on the night of August 16.
Finally, on August 18, he was with a friend when they each set fire to bush near Mulbring Street at Cessnock.
He was arrested at home on August 30 and, according to the statement of facts, admitted to police that he had lit several fires in the area.
