Court documents say a 21-year-old local firefighter charged with two felony counts of arson admitted to police that he set the blaze which destroyed $125,000 worth of logging equipment.

Christopher Millspaugh, a Flint Road resident, was arrested and arraigned on May 21 following a weeklong investigation into the May 14 fire which destroyed logging equipment belonging to the Brookfield-based firm Moose Mountain Logging. At his arraignment, Millspaugh was released after posting $5,000 cash bail.

Fire Chief Rudy Cartier said Millspaugh had started his time with the Candia Volunteer Fire Department as a 14-year-old Fire Explorer, later becoming a fullfledged member at age 18.

The young man was placed on administrative leave shortly after his arrest, and Cartier said the entire department is “shocked and saddened” by the recent events.

Cartier said he met with Millspaugh briefly to explain the administrative leave process. “He seemed OK about it,” said Cartier. “I basically told him that we’ll wait and see what happens and how the process goes through. Everybody has kind of been in a state of shock over this. It’s not something you expect or want to happen. The department is kind of a big family ... and it’s nice to see everybody pulling together.”

According to police, two Candia officers reporting to the fire off Flint Road found Millspaugh, who lives nearby, in fire protective gear at the scene. Under questioning, Millspaugh allegedly told investigators that he could smell “the odor of burning plastic” shortly after coming home at about 12:15 a.m., and that he could see an “orange glow” coming from the woods.

Court documents state that there were early indicators that indicated the fire may have been arson, and the remains of what appeared to be a self-igniting road flare were found near one piece of burned equipment. Later that morning, investigators from the state Fire Marshal’s office investigated and determined the fires had probably been set intentionally.

An affidavit states that “Millspaugh had changed his account of how he found the fire” during a May 20 interview, and state investigators asked him to be honest about what had happened.

He allegedly then “provided a detailed confession” and admitted using road flares and rags to set the fires.

Officials said Millspaugh was in good standing as a firefighter at the time of his arrest and had no prior record. Shortly after the incident, Candia police said only one person appears to be involved and that the motive appeared to be the “excitement factor.”

Cartier said Millspaugh had a good record as an emergency responder. At only 16 years old, Millspaugh and Fire Explorer Jeff Gagnon tried to save the life of Candia resident Carolyn Carnright after her vehicle collided head-on with their school bus, and the two were later dubbed heroes for their attempt.

Millspaugh recalled the tragedy in a 2006 interview on the life-and-death risks faced by firefighters, and he said that responding to the scene of an injured friend, neighbor or fellow firefighter was one of the hardest aspects of the job. “But we are rescuers, and we get called to the scene to make things better,” he said, then age 19.

At the time, Millspaugh said he planned to pursue a career in firefighting, and praised in influence of Chief Cartier and the other experienced members of the department.

“Our chief (Rudy Cartier) is a really great guy, a huge influence, along with the rest of the department,” Millspaugh said. His hearing will continue on June 4.