CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- Four boys were charged Tuesday with setting fire to a duplex in February, forcing two families from their homes.
The one-story, brick duplex was covered with a tarp after the Feb. 26 fire.
Fire investigator Harry McElvain said the boys - three 8-year-olds and a 7-year-old - set fire to some bags filled with clothing and other combustible material behind the duplex. The blaze spread into the attic but firefighters kept it confined to the rear of the home.
''Two of the four juveniles admitted to playing a role in the arson fire,'' Chattanooga Fire Department spokesman Bruce Garner said.
No one was injured in the fire.
The boys were arrested at Orchard Knob Elementary School by investigators and taken to the Juvenile Detention Center. Once the case is concluded, the boys can enter the city's Juvenile Fire Stoppers program, Garner said.
''We educate them on the seriousness of fire to prevent a recurrence of that behavior,'' he said.
Chattanooga in recent years has seen a climbing juvenile offender population except in arson cases, records show. Youngsters are committing fewer crimes statewide and in other major Tennessee cities such as Memphis and Knoxville, according to state crime statistics.
Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press
