A WOMAN accused of deliberately lighting a housefire in Gunnedah will fight the charge in court.
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Tammy Louise Kelly appeared in Gunnedah Local Court this week for the first time since she was arrested by Oxley police earlier this month.
The 46-year-old stands accused of arson after the late-night housefire on November 20 on the edge of town.
In court, Kelly's Aboriginal Legal Service solicitor Rebecca Witchard confirmed her client was pleading not guilty to the charge of damaging property by fire that's worth more than $15,000.
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Police will now prepare a brief of evidence into the case and serve it on the defence solicitor before the matter returns to court in March.
Magistrate Peter Thompson adjourned the case and continued Kelly's conditional bail.
She's been on bail since her arrest at a Bloomfield Street home on the morning of January 5.
Her arrest came nearly two months after the housefire, following extensive police investigations.
About 10.20pm on November 20, emergency services were called to Ross Road near Quia Road after reports from locals a home was on fire.
Gunnedah fire crews including the NSW Rural Fire Service arrived to find the home had been engulfed by flames.
Oxley police setup a crime scene and launched an investigation, and confirmed at the time the blaze was being treated as suspicious.
After extensive inquiries, Kelly was arrested and charged last week.