Fresh charges laid against former firefighter Daniel Dennis, accused of lighting San Isidore blaze

In March, Ashmont man Daniel Dennis, 34, pleaded guilty to deliberately lighting a fire and making false reports of other fires.

In Wagga Local Court on Monday, Dennis was hit with a further 13 charges relating to allegedly making a large number of fake triple zero calls between October 2020 and last November.

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Police prosecutor Priscilla Jones told the court she recently went through every triple zero call and that statements have been issued for each one. Sergeant Jones requested a two-week adjournment to sort through the large volume of material.

In February, detectives attached to the NSW Police Force's State Crime Command charged Dennis over the allegations.

Shortly after 2.10am on December 11, 2021, a passing ambulance vehicle observed a small grass fire on Kapooka Road at San Isidore and contacted emergency services.

Crews from the Rural Fire Service arrived and put out the fire, however the cause of the blaze was deemed suspicious and referred to police for further investigation.

In January, Strike Force Tronto - made up of detectives from the State Crime Command's Financial Crime Squad Arson Unit, Riverina Police District and RFS fire investigators - launched Strike Force Madrer to investigate the San Isidore fire and a number of other suspicious fires in the Wagga area during December and January.

After inquiries, detectives searched a home on Bardia Street in Ashmont on February 9.

Dennis was arrested at the home and was taken to Wagga police station where he was charged with intentionally causing a fire and being reckless as to its spread and making a false call to an emergency service number.

Police documents tendered to the court said Dennis deliberately lit the grass fire at San Isidore and allowed it to spread to vegetation along the side of Kapooka Road, near the Sturt Highway intersection.

Police said he then attended the blaze as a volunteer firefighter to extinguish it.

It is alleged Dennis made more than 200 false calls to triple zero of a "vexatious nature".

Police said he requested emergency assistance for other fires in the area, which either did not exist or were contained prior to the arrival of emergency services.

Dennis is yet to enter pleas to the 13 new charges.

He was again granted bail and Magistrate Rebecca Hosking adjourned the matter to July 31.

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