Nicholas Matthew Jensen and Jason Shaun Austin Downie up for $36,000 fire bill

The Toowoomba pair were seen throwing fireworks out of the car window which ultimately caused a bushfire.

Nicholas Jensen and Jason Downie leave Toowoomba Courthouse after being sentenced for setting fire to bushland with fireworks.

Two Toowoomba men who burnt off 14 sqkm of state forest after throwing fireworks from a car window have been left with a $36,213 bill to pay.

Nicholas Matthew Jensen, 32, and Jason Shaun Austin Downie, 27, were passengers in a vehicle travelling on the Dawson Highway adjacent to the Albinia National Park in central Queensland about 1.20am, September 27, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

A witness driving that area at the time told police of seeing people throwing fireworks from the car’s window which started spot fires and reported that car’s registration to police.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Tim Hutton told the court a truck driver on the Dawson Highway about 2am that morning had called triple-0 after seeing fire taking hold in the national park.

Nine rural fire service units and two national park fire units were called to fight the fires which took 12 hours to bring under control and ultimately burnt off 14 sqkm of national park inside which 10km of fences had been effected, he said.

Some 38 power poles had to be inspected and three of those poles replaced, Sgt Hutton said.

When spoken to by police, both defendants made full admissions, saying “they thought it would be a bit of fun”, but conceded that throwing fireworks into bushland could cause a fire, Sgt Hutton told the court.

Jensen and Downie each pleaded guilty to possessing unauthorised and prohibited explosives, and to lighting an unauthorised fire.

Their barrister Steve Kissick, instructed by Skuse Graham Lawyers, told the court both men acknowledged theirs was “an incredibly foolish act”.

Magistrate Damian Carroll said the offending was serious.

“This was reckless and foolish conduct by these young men,” he said.

However, taking into account they were both hard working employees and entered early pleas of guilty, Mr Carroll ordered each do 50 hours of unpaid community service and pay half compensation of $18,106.

The convictions were not recorded.