A man will appear in court today charged over a fire that caused more than $10 million worth of damage to a high school in Tamworth.

Emergency services responded to reports of a fire at the Piper Street school about 3.45am on Sunday 18 March 2012.

The blaze destroyed a two-storey building within the school grounds; it had housed the physical-education rooms, science labs and English classrooms.

For almost three years after the fire, the school also lost access to its sporting fields, as these were used to accommodate 80 demountable classrooms.

The fire was deemed to be suspicious, and detectives from Oxley Local Area Command launched an investigation, with assistance from State Crime Command’s Arson Unit.

As a result of these inquiries, police arrested a 21-year-old man in Tamworth yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 25 March 2015).

He was taken to Tamworth Police Station, where he was charged with:

– Destroy property by fire in company;

– Aggravated break enter & commit serious indictable offence (larceny); and

– Aggravated break enter & commit serious indictable offence (arson).

The man was refused bail to appear before Tamworth Local Court today (Thursday 26 March 2015).

The investigation continues.