A 14-year-old has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a Jefferson County townhome he lives in.
The boy, who was not named, was smoking a cigarette at about 8 p.m. in front of his home in the 9200 block of West Ontario Drive when he used a lighter to set a bush on fire, said Cindy Matthews, a spokeswoman with the West Metro Fire Protection District.
The fire spread quickly to the teen’s townhome and three other units.
Three pet rabbits died, and a firefighter injured his ankle fighting the blaze, Matthews said.
The teen and his 9-year-old sister were the only ones home at the time the fire broke out. They escaped through a back door in the unit.
At least two of the four units damaged were gutted, Matthews said.
The boy is being held at the Montview Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree arson, second-degree arson and reckless endangerment, Matthews said.
The boy’s motive for setting the fire was not available.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
