United States (Pennsylvania) - A former volunteer firefighter from Pitcairn pleaded guilty Thursday to starting trash fires in garbage cans outside his apartment building. James Cole, 20, was sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John A. Zottola to three years of probation under the supervision of mental health court. Under a plea deal reached with prosecutors, Cole pleaded guilty to charges of reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.

There were no injuries and minimal damage in the fires, authorities said.

Written by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review