Nov. 07--STRAFFORD -- Police plan to bring charges against two children in connection with a fire on Leavitt Lane that destroyed a home Sunday.
According to police, the incident was reported at approximately 2:13 p.m., when someone reported a suspicious person at 38 Leavitt Lane. On scene, police found one child behind the building, and one child still inside the home. They also encountered a fire at the back of the home.
The children -- 9 and 10 years old -- were taken into custody and placed in a cruiser.
Police Officer Bryant Scott went inside the home and tried to control the blaze, but was unable to do so. After fire crews arrived, the two children were taken to the police station and then released to their parents.
The house that burned was not the children's home. While the fire was initially contained to one room at the back of the home, the fire spread throughout the house, which appears to be a 100-percent loss, said Police Chief Scott Young.
The homeowners were out of state when the fire occurred.
According to Young, charges against the children are forthcoming. In the next day or two, police are meeting with members of the Strafford County Attorney's Office on how to handle the incident.
"We are trying to figure out exactly what to charge them with," he said.
Young at this time is not commenting on whether police believe the children caused the fire, as charges against them have not yet been filed.
Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, including Barrington, Barnstead, Epsom, Northwood, Chichester, Rochester, Farmington, Nottingham, Candia and New Durham.
The incident is still under investigation by the Strafford police and fire departments along with the state Fire Marshal's Office.
Copyright 2013 - Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.
