Fire Does $500,000 Damage to Bridge; 3 Boys Arrested
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Three youths are believed to have ignited a fire Saturday afternoon that caused about $500,000 damage to a bridge and roadway in San Marcos, authorities said Sunday.
The youths, boys ranging in age from 10 to 13, were arrested Saturday by sheriff’s arson investigators on suspicion of starting an unlawful fire, according to Sgt. Julie Sutton.
Witnesses saw three young boys running from the area where a bridge on Valpreda Road near Mission Road was engulfed in flames, Sutton said. Sheriff’s investigators found a large gasoline can near the fire’s origin underneath the bridge.
The boys told authorities that they emptied the can into a stream running underneath the bridge, Sutton said. One of the boys ignited the gasoline and the bridge, which was made of a combination of asphalt and timber, immediately caught fire.
“It put out a pretty good column of smoke,” said San Marcos Fire Capt. Michael Marks. No one was injured in the blaze and no vehicles were damaged, Marks said. The bridge, about 25 to 30-feet, is closed to traffic pending a structural analysis, Marks said.
The boys were taken to the sheriff’s substation in Vista and later released into the custody of their parents, Sutton said.
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