A 16-year-old Delta Junction boy faces multiple charges of arson and theft in connection with a Sunday house fire and the fire that destroyed the Clearwater Lodge in May, Alaska State Troopers said.
According to AST dispatch, the teenager was arrested following an investigation into a house fire on Clearwater Extension. Troopers first responded to the blaze just before 7 p.m. Sunday, and discovered the home was forcibly entered and burglarized before being intentionally set on fire.
After a suspect and suspicious vehicle were identified and troopers conducted further investigation Monday, according to AST dispatch, the 16-year-old admitted to entering the Clearwater Extension home and setting it ablaze to cover up his theft. Troopers said they learned the teenager was also responsible for the fire that leveled the historic Clearwater Lodge May 15.
The minor, who has yet to be publicly identified, was remanded to the Fairbanks Youth Facility on counts of arson and theft, among other charges connected to both blazes, troopers said.
The investigation is ongoing, according to AST, and troopers are unsure whether there were others involved with Sunday’s house fire or the Clearwater Lodge blaze.