Rowe, 18, pleaded guilty to arson causing bodily harm in Supreme Court yesterday for setting fire to an Old Town log cabin Sept. 7.

Claire Brookes, 17, and Lindsey Rocher, 15, sustained serious burns in the blaze, which destroyed the cabin at 5005 Bryson Drive.

The cabin was owned by Rocher's father.

The Crown is seeking a sentence of three to five years' penitentiary time as punishment.

Supreme Court Justice Ted Richard will hand down his sentence Monday.

For the first time, details of events that unfolded the night of the blaze were revealed.

After a night of binging on booze, cocaine and marijuana, Rowe decided to confront Rocher at the cabin after hearing a rumour that he had hit Rowe's girlfriend and a pregnant teen at the sandpits.

After a short altercation between the two, a friend of Rowe's suggested he burn down the cabin.

Accompanied by a 16-year-old male, also awaiting sentencing on charges related to the same incident, Rowe searched around town for gas to use as an accelerant.

Admits stealing gasoline

After stealing a little more than $10 worth of gasoline from a gas station he returned to the cabin with a jerrycan just after 5 a.m.

Rowe saw no lights on inside, the car Rocher was riding in was gone, and nobody answered the door when he knocked.

He poured gas onto the porch, all over the cabin door and drizzled a trail of gas away from the cabin before tossing the empty jerrycan onto the porch.

Rowe struck a match, dropped it to the ground and bolted towards the co-accused's vehicle as the cabin erupted in flames.

He said he did not know anyone was inside.

Rocher was awakened at the sound of the fire and woke Brookes.

The pair soon realized their only means of escape was through a thick wall of flames.

Rocher and Brookes spent several weeks hospitalized at the University of Alberta burn unit. Both are scarred for life.

Rocher and Brookes were surrounded by dozens of friends in the courtroom as they listened to Crown prosecutor Loretta Colton provide a detailed account of events that unfolded that morning.

Rowe, who was diagnosed by a forensic psychiatrist in October as having bipolar disorder.

During the hearing, defence lawyer Bob Gorin read out four letters of apology from Rowe addressed to Brookes, Rocher and their parents for the pain and suffering he has caused.