PETERBOROUGH, Ont. (CP) -- An eastern Ontario man, who was excited to be a volunteer firefighter, has admitted to setting a house and two barns ablaze.
Daniel Hendriks, 21, pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of arson after starting multiple fires in the Peterborough area between November 2004 and February of this year.
Court heard fire chief Nelson Edgerton notified police when it was learned Hendriks had been calling in suspicious brush fires and carbon monoxide detector alarms.
When Hendriks was brought into the police station March 4 to give a statement, he confessed to starting five fires.
Hendriks had just started volunteering with the department when he was charged.
Following the arrest, Const. Brad Filman said Hendriks was excited about going out to fight fires after being hired.
''He was a little overzealous,'' Filman said.
Peterborough OPP estimated the fires caused $1 million in damages.
Crown and defence counsel are expected to propose Hendriks receive a three-year prison term when he returns for sentencing next month. (Peterborough Examiner)
