POCATELLO — The man who admitted to starting a west Pocatello fire that destroyed one home, severely damaged another and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage has been charged with first-degree arson.

According to the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office, 41-year-old John Woods will be arraigned on the arson charge on Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. at the Bannock County Courthouse.

Idaho statute says that a conviction for first-degree arson carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.

However, Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog said it is unlikely that Woods will receive the maximum prison sentence.

The July 13 blaze destroyed one home, severely damaged another and destroyed numerous exterior structures, fences and backyards on Bitterroot Drive. A day after the fire broke out, Woods admitted to the Journal and other media outlets that he lit the illegal aerial fireworks that started the destructive fire.

Woods’ home is located in a cul-de-sac at the bottom of the ravine below the 800 block of Bitterroot Drive. A neighbor told the Journal that one of the mortars that Woods had lit from his driveway discharged close to the hillside above their homes.

The mortar then showered sparks and embers onto the dry grass, which immediately erupted in flames.

The flames quickly spread up the ravine, eventually setting multiple homes and other structures on Bitterroot Drive ablaze.

Woods told the Journal last month that he purchased $255 worth of aerial fireworks from the Fort Hall Indian Reservation before the Fourth of July. The aerial fireworks that he purchased are prohibited for use within Pocatello city limits.

Woods also told the Journal that he was remorseful for his actions and that the night of the fire will go down as one of the worst days of his life.

“This was an accident that I will pay dearly for,” Woods told the Journal on July 14, a day after the Bitterroot Drive fire. “I lit off five fireworks and I think the fourth one was a bad deal. I burnt people's houses down and I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry.”