A TEENAGE girl has admitted to recklessly burning down her high school classroom block in Inverell.
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The 14-year-old appeared in Inverell Local Court for the first time on Thursday morning following the February 25 fire at Inverell High School which destroyed the industrial arts building.
The girl, who cannot be identified because of her age, pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly causing damage by fire.
Magistrate Michael O'Brien has ordered a background report be prepared by Juvenile Justice before the case returns to court for sentencing.
According to police facts, the deliberately lit fire originated in a nearby palm tree that was very close to the industrial arts building, before the fire quickly spread.
The emergency unfolded just before 1.30pm and sparked a mass evacuation of more than 700 staff and students and sent Fire and Rescue NSW crews scrambling to the site.
The building was already well alight but local fire fighters managed to contain the blaze to the industrial arts block and quickly mopped up the fire which was then assessed by police forensic crews.
Following investigations in the hours following the fire, the 14-year-old girl was arrested and taken to Inverell Police Station where she was charged with the offence.
Two specialist industrial arts classrooms were destroyed in the fire but the Department of Education has confirmed the school is back operating to its normal timetable, with damage assessments and rebuilding plans to be considered by the Department.
The teenage girl will be sentenced in May.
She remains on conditional bail.
