7-Year-Old Boy Behind Alaska Arson Fires

Alaska arson fires were the work of a seven-year-old boy who stumbled across a lighter, according to Alaska fire officials in the state capital of Juneau.

Dan Jager, Juneau’s fire marshal, told the Juneau Empire that the boy had caused roughly $1,000 in damages by igniting fires in various locations including Terry Miller Legislative Building, a Fred Meyer store, and restrooms inside of Harborview Elementary School. The young boy additionally lit a downtown grass fire.

The boy’s grandmother, his legal guardian, was surprised when she discovered that her grandchild had been playing with fire. Fire marshal Jager was quoted having said:

“It definitely got her attention, and I think she’s going to be a big help making sure that the boy understands what he’s doing.”

Surveillance footage at the Terry Miller Legislative Building recorded the boy as he enters and exits a bathroom within close proximity of a fire erupting. By chance, a maintenance employee noticed the fire and extinguished it without requiring any additional assistance. The employee later contacted the authorities and relayed the recording which depicts the child as the culprit behind the arson.

Later, the same worker assisted in the identification of the boy as he had decided to show a picture of the young arson to his own daughter who then recognized the boy.

Officials in Alaska are currently investigation whether or not the boy was behind additional fires which occurred such as one inside of the City Hall’s public restroom.

Fire officials interviewing the boy derived that he had set the small fires with a lighter which he had found. While authorities are still unclear as to why the prepubescent arsonist decided to ignite the fires, they seemed quite certain he was unaware of the magnitude of his actions as Jager was quoted having said:

“He has no idea how big the fires could have gotten. He could have gotten hurt and other people could have been hurt because some of those buildings were occupied. Being that age, I don’t think he understood the magnitude of what could have happened.”