Officials: Boy Starts Apartment Fire, Dozens Displaced
SUITLAND, Md. (AP) -- Officials in Prince George's County say dozens of people were displaced for the night after a boy started a fire at his Suitland apartment building.
County fire department spokesman Mark Brady says firefighters were called to the building on Southern Avenue on Tuesday evening and found fire showing from a ground-floor apartment. He says residents escaped safely and the fire was quickly extinguished.
Brady says investigators believe a boy under the age of 10 started the fire with a lighter. He says the boy will be entered into a program for juvenile fire-setters.
Damage from the blaze was estimated at $50,000. He says one apartment was damaged by the fire, but other residents were displaced because of the loss of utility services. The Red Cross was working to help them.
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)