Oct. 26--BANGOR, Maine -- Police arrested a 14-year-old girl on an arson charge in connection with a fire Thursday at Bangor High School.
The girl's name was not released because she is a juvenile.
The fire occurred at about 1:35 p.m., and Bangor firefighters located the source in a ground level girls bathroom, Lt. Tim Reid of the Bangor Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division said in a news release issued late Friday afternoon.
He said that a fire had been set in a large rubber trash can, papers in the can had burned, and the bottom of the can was smoldering.
The fire prompted a brief evacuation, but students and staff were allowed back into the building after the fire was extinguished.
No one was injured as a result of the fire, and damage was limited to the trash can.
Bangor High School Principal Paul Butler said that the evacuation lasted about 15 minutes. An IRIS alert was sent to parents informing them that students and staff were safe, and normal dismissal procedures would be followed.
The arrest was the result of an investigation by the high school's administration, he said.
"Because student discipline is deemed confidential information by law, we are not able to share other details," Butler said.
Butler said Thursday's incident was not connected to a fight at the school on Tuesday that led to an assault charge for a 16-year-old girl.
Copyright 2013 - Bangor Daily News, Maine
