Investigator: Pittsburgh Five-Alarmer Started by Children

Two children started a couch fire that destroyed an apartment building in the South Side Slopes, a Pittsburgh arson investigator said Wednesday afternoon.

The children -- ages 4 and 6 -- set fire to a piece of paper and dropped it behind the couch Monday morning in a second-floor apartment of the three-story building on Mt. Oliver Street, arson investigator Michael Burns said. Firefighters said 17 people were displaced from their homes. One firefighter was injured.

Children under the age of 10 can't be charged with a crime in Pennsylvania, Burns said. The youngsters will be required to attend a fire-setters program to learn about fire safety, he said.

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