Young Illawarra man Jakeb Eaton allegedly caught lighting Balgownie bushfire

A young man has been charged with setting fire to property, after he was allegedly caught lighting a fire in Balgownie bushland just metres from a major rescue operation.

Fireys rush to extinguish the blaze.

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A 20-year-old man has been charged after allegedly lighting a bushfire in a Balgownie reserve— just metres away from a major rescue operation to free a paraglider suspended from a tree.

Jakeb Eaton, of Balgownie, was charged with cause or set fire to the property, after police allegedly caught him fanning the flames of a small bushfire in Balgownie yesterday evening.

Around 5.30pm, officers trying to rescue the stranded paraglider smelled smoke and went on foot to investigate, discovering the bushland nearby on fire.

Special operations ambulance officers, police rescuers and SES volunteers brought the fire under control before a Balgownie Fire and Rescue brigade arrived to extinguish it.

In the space of just five minutes, the fire destroyed about 150sq m of bushland, which Ambulance NSW Illawarra Inspector Terry Morrow said could have had a catastrophic outcome.

“We have dry conditions at the moment, bushfires all over the country, and to have someone deliberately light a fire especially when we are trying to rescue someone made us so fearful,” he said.

“The paraglider could have been up that tree for longer than we anticipated and if the fire had really taken hold then there would have been a dangerous situation.”

The man was arrested in bushland by police undertaking the rescue operation. Picture: Madeline Crittenden

Illawarra Police Rescue Sergeant Richard Walsh said the situation could have been “absolutely devastating” if it weren’t for the quick thinking of emergency crews.

After being arrested in the bushland Eaton was taken to Wollongong Police Station where he has been charged with cause or set fire to the property.

He has been granted strict conditional bail to appear in Wollongong Local Court on December 3.

Police also seized the Eaton’s mobile phone for forensic examination.