A MAN accused of setting fire to the homes of four pensioners denied all the charges yesterday.
Neil Oates, 21, is alleged to have put burning wheelie bins against the front doors of bungalows leaving elderly residents trapped inside.
Three women aged 101, 81 and 66 and an 88-year-old man had to be rescued after flames engulfed the porchways of their homes at The Terraces, Columbia, Washington, Wearside, on October 14, last year.
The victims were led to safety after the fire brigade arrived and the flames were extinguished.
Mr Oates, of Lanercost, Glebe, Washington, pleaded not guilty to seven charges of arson being reckless to life endangered and one charge of arson.
The charges include the fires at the bungalows, wheelie bins, an industrial wheelie bin and the home of a couple at Park Chare, in Columbia.
Mr Oates's case will be heard on March 22. He was remanded in custody.
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