A TEENAGE arsonist is to be put under curfew and electronically tagged, after starting a devastating blaze which ripped through a former tannery near York.

The youngster must not leave his house between 8pm and 7am for the next three months, after admitting setting fire to the building on Sheriff Hutton Road, Strensall. He must also serve a two-year supervision order.

Selby Youth Court heard the 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, lit a piece of paper in the building, before fleeing with two other youths when he was unable to extinguish the fire.

The roof of the former tannery, and much of the building's third floor, were virtually destroyed by the blaze on Easter Monday this year.

Local residents were told to stay in their homes as the building burned, due to fears of toxic fumes from the blaze.

Robert Galley, prosecuting, told the court the youngsters were lucky not to have been killed in the blaze. He said: "The fire did cause serious risk to the three people inside - they were lucky to escape alive."

He told the court a local resident had seen the tannery alight, and spotted three youngsters moving about near the building. He took photographs, and followed the youths by bicycle for a short distance.

Mr Galley said: "In interview, the defendant accepted that he went into the building. He said he picked up a piece of paper, lit it and dropped it. He tried to stamp it out and friends were trying to waft it out."

The case had been adjourned for magistrates to consider an all-options pre-sentence report, including custody, but Jane Maloney, for the youth, said that would be the wrong move.

She told the court: "It is not an intentional, deliberate act. At no point did he expect he was going to cause that damage to the building. Nor did he want it to happen. He and his friends tried to put the fire out but could not, and they left because they panicked."

Miss Maloney said her client had been honest with police, and had not changed his story at any time. She said the youngster had learned his lesson and was working hard for his future.

She said: "If you were to send him into prison, I would say that was a very backward step."

Peter Smith, the chairman of the bench, said: "This was a serious offence - a very serious offence - in which a building was on fire, and it required an awful lot of fire appliances to put the fire out. You could have resulted in people losing their lives."

As well as the curfew and the supervision order, the teenager must also pay £100 compensation to the fire service and £100 costs.

He was also sentenced for a separate case of criminal damage involving a double-glazed window worth £400, which he damaged with two others in February.

He had denied that charge, but was convicted earlier this year. He was fined £20 for the damage, and ordered to pay £50 costs.

Updated: 09:19 Tuesday, December 20, 2005