Police have charged a 16-year-old boy with deliberately lighting fires that led to two bushfires in Griffith over the weekend.
Emergency services were called to Scenic Hill (Griffith) following reports of two bushfires at about 5 pm on Saturday (7 January).
More than 35 volunteers from several Riverina-based NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews attempted to extinguish the blaze, which burnt an estimated 17 hectares over several days.
There were 15 fire trucks on site on Saturday and another six on Sunday to help extinguish the fire. The fire has since been extinguished.
Officers attached to Murrumbidgee Police District commenced an investigation into the cause of the fires and arrested the boy in the Leeton area just before 5 pm yesterday (11 January).
Police say the teenager was taken to Leeton Police Station where he was charged with two counts of intentionally cause fire and be reckless as to its spread, and one count of possess prohibited drug.
The boy was granted strict conditional bail to appear before a children’s court on Monday 20 February.
Original Article published by Shri Gayathirie Rajen on Region Riverina.