Teens face charges in fires

Damage estimated at $40K in Brookings incident

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BROOKINGS – A pair of teenage males from Brookings confessed Monday to starting several fires, including one on Saturday that damaged a mobile home in the 100 block of Second Street South, according to a Tuesday news release from the Brookings Police Department.

Charges are pending in juvenile court on suspicion of reckless burning, Detective Adam Smith wrote in the release. He said that, due to the teenagers’ ages, their names will not be released.

The mobile home fire was reported at 2:49 p.m. Saturday and occurred at Broadacre Mobile Home Park. It started in a storage shed before spreading to the mobile home while also causing exterior damage to other nearby structures, according to information from the BPD and Brookings Fire Department. No injuries were reported, Smith said earlier this week.

During the investigation, several other areas were identified where small grass fires had been started, the BPD reported. On Sunday, residents in the area of the fire contacted law enforcement about some juveniles possibly playing with a lighter in the area.

Total damage is estimated at $40,000, according to information provided by the BPD.