A 26-year-old man received a suspended sentence after being found guilty of intentionally setting his house on fire twice in one night to see his favorite firefighters in action.
The court ruled that the man, identified as James Brown from Ashington, Northumberland, was not a pyromaniac but was obsessed with firefighters.
Investigators revealed that Brown first called the fire brigade claiming there was a spark from his electricity meter, which allegedly caused a blanket inside a closet to catch fire.
Firefighters promptly responded, extinguished the minor blaze, and cut off the electricity supply as a safety precaution.
However, just 90 minutes later, Brown called the fire brigade again to report another fire involving the same blankets, raising suspicion among responders since the home no longer had electricity.
Further investigation confirmed that both fires were deliberately set by Brown.
Records showed that Brown had contacted the fire department 80 times in the past year.
In court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of arson and reckless endangerment.
Brown was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 150 hours of community service.
His lawyer stated that Brown deeply regrets his actions and is currently undergoing therapy to address his obsession with firefighters.
Since his arrest, Brown has ceased all contact with fire services.