Man charged after shocking act sparks explosion at NSW service station
A man who was refused cigarettes from a northern NSW service station has been filmed allegedly setting fire to the store.
The dramatic footage allegedly shows the 41-year-old dousing shelves at the East Ballina station with a flammable liquid on Monday, before setting them alight.
The blaze appears to cause two large explosions and part of the service station roof to collapse.
NSW Police say the man entered the Links Avenue shop just before 7.30pm and demanded a pack of cigarettes.
"When the attendant refused, the man allegedly grabbed a bottle of flammable liquid and poured it onto nearby shelves, before setting them alight and leaving the store," police said.
The employee, a 57-year-old woman, can be seen on the CCTV footage running towards the fire with an extinguisher.
She was fortunately able to put out the blaze without sustaining any injuries, police said.
Police were called and launched an investigation.
Two days later, they arrested the 41-year-old man at a nearby campsite.
He’s been charged with damaging property by fire/explosion.
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