Three children suspected of setting a fire that burned 1.5 acres near a Longmont lake Sunday are expected to face fourth-degree arson charges for causing the blaze.
Longmont fire crews received reports of the fire on the east side of McIntosh Lake just before 4:15 p.m. Sunday and found cattails on fire near a parking lot, according to a news release posted on Longmont’s Fire, Police and Office of Emergency Management Facebook page.
The firefighters on site requested more crews to respond to the fire due to its “volatility and amount of fire burning in the cattails,” the post said.
The firefighters then performed a controlled burn of all the cattails surrounding the fire, Longmont Fire spokeswoman Molly Cropp said Monday morning. Fires in cattails are particularly dangerous, she said.
“(Cattails) are quite oily,” she said. “They’re a good fire starter.”
Firefighters contained the fire in less than an hour. The blaze burned a total of 1.5 acres.
Witnesses said they saw some youths in the area lighting things on fire, according to the post. Police and fire later located the three children, all 11 years old, who are expected to be charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree arson.
Cropp said the kids had been playing with fire, though it’s not clear whether they intentionally lit the cattails.
The juveniles will be referred to the Longmont Community Justice Partnership, a nonprofit that provides restorative justice services. They will also complete a program for juvenile fire setters, according to the post.
