A NSW volunteer firefighter has been suspended from the rural fire service after being charged with lighting a series of fires.
Fire caused considerable damage to bushland in the Lake Macquarie area during August and September.
Police allege the 21-year-old Rural Fire Service volunteer from Rutherford lit 10 small fires during that time.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the Service had zero tolerance for arson and the man had been immediately suspended.
He said information provided by the RFS led to the arrest of the man on Tuesday.
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"This arrest shows that our investment in new technology such as the Arson Trend Analysis System, our growing team of more than 160 specialist fire investigators and having a NSW RFS officer embedded in the Police Arson Squad is working," he said.
Any RFS volunteer who started fires represented "the ultimate betrayal" all members, he said.
"If anyone engages in this kind of criminal activity, we will do everything possible to bring them to the attention of police," he said.
The man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 10 counts of knowingly causing a fire and being reckless about its spread.
He was refused bail and will appear at Toronto Local Court on Wednesday.
