Fire leads to arrest of boys, 8 and 9

The Daily Tribune May 29, 2008

Duo accused of setting garage blaze that caused thousands in damage

By Michael P. McConnell

Daily Tribune Staff Writer

 HAZEL PARK -- Two boys, ages 8 and 9, were turned over to their parents after investigators say they intentionally started a garage fire Tuesday night that caused thousands of dollars in damage.

The boys finally admitted to the arson after first telling investigators they saw a masked man enter the garage carrying gas cans, police said.

Hazel Park firefighters and police were called to the scene in the 600 block of East Jarvis about 7:30 p.m. and found the rear of the garage engulfed in flames.

"It is not unusual in this type of fire to find two or more kids involved," said Hazel Park Fire Marshal Bill Anderson. "Kids get together and their collective IQ seems to go down. But kids who are 8 or 9 years old understand it is not right to set things on fire."

A large tree near the garage also caught fire, police said. Anderson said the blaze caused about $6,000 in damage to the garage.

Hazel Park police and fire officials called in an Oakland County Sheriff's fire investigator to help them Tuesday night as they worked to determine the cause of the blaze. The garage appears to have been built fairly recently and the house has been vacant for several months, police said.

The two boys who set the fire ran to the house of one the boy's relatives on the next block and told the woman to call 911 because there was a garage on fire, officers said. The boys first told police they saw a masked man dressed in black walk into the garage with gas cans just before the fire started.

Investigators interviewed several neighbors and witnesses as they tried to find a suspect. One senior citizen told police she was walking near East Pearl and South Chrysler when she heard one of the boys say to the other, "Let's just do it," police said. The woman told police she continued walking for about half a block and noticed black smoke coming from the back of the garage when she turned around.

Investigators determined the blaze started after a plastic trash can in the rear of the garage was set on fire.

Police and a county sheriff's arson investigators interviewed the boys a second time Tuesday night in the presence of their mothers when they admitted starting the fire, police said.

Anderson said it is not uncommon in such cases for young suspects to be dealt with through the county juvenile court. Additionally, the boys' parents may be ordered to pay for the damages, he said.