Police say four teenage boys deliberately set a fire that damaged a private school on Indianapolis' north side over the weekend.
The blaze at Park Tudor School happened early Saturday morning. Police are looking for the boys they believe are responsible for starting the blaze. They were seen on a surveillance video.
Police said the boys are between 13 and 16 years old and that they might attend the school.
The fire did about $10,000 in damage to the school, but officials said it could have been much worse, 6News' Jeremy Brilliant reported.
The fire damaged the maintenance building at the school. The blaze burned for about an hour after it began at 3 a.m. Saturday.
Investigators said the teens used an accelerant to ignite a pile of rubber cinder. They also used bolt cutters to remove locks from a gasoline and diesel tank in a failed attempt to make the blaze even bigger.
"If those would have gone off, not only would it have set the building on fire, the woods on fire. The kids would have gotten hit. Kids would have got hurt. It would have been life changing for them," said Gary Harling, Washington Township Fire Marshal.
Investigators said that the surveillance video should help them determine who the boys involved are.
"The investigators conveyed to me that it was a very good video. They believe that they could get some pretty good still photos out of the video and that's what they're hoping to get out to the public soon," said Marion County sheriff's Lt. Michael DeHart.
The video captured the teens running away into a nearby wooded area. If caught, the boys will face arson charges.
"I want to help these kids, to get them away from this fire to help them understand that what they're playing with is like picking up a gun and shooting it off. It's no different," Harling said.
Investigators said the clothes the boys were wearing probably have a strong smell of gas or diesel fuel.
Copyright 2006 by TheIndyChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
