A young man has appeared in court charged with starting a bushfire that spread to a coal mine and sent toxic smoke over eastern Victoria in 2014.
The 20-year-old, who cannot be named, has been charged with arson and recklessly causing a bushfire over a blaze in the Latrobe Valley that spread to the Hazelwood open cut mine at Morwell.
The man was arrested on Friday and faced the Latrobe Magistrates Court over the fire, which is alleged to have been started on February 7 in the Hernes Oak area.
It spread to the open cut coal mine two days later, where it burned for several weeks.
Morwell was blanketed in toxic smoke and ash for 45 days, prompting many of the town's 12,000 people to flee their homes.
He was released on bail and will return to court in September.
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