Two Allentown boys, ages 15 and 11, admitted in Lehigh County Juvenile Court on Wednesday that they used gasoline and a lighter to set a massive blaze last month that leveled an abandoned furniture factory and damaged eight homes.
The 15-year-old will spend time in a locked juvenile facility that offers an extensive treatment program for fire setters. Due to his age, the court hearing for the 11-year-old was closed and his disposition — the juvenile court equivalent of a sentence — was not made public.
Lehigh County Judge James T. Anthony warned the 15-year-old, who had a history of minor infractions but had never been in juvenile court before, to change his behavior.
“You’re going to have to get through this and not let it define you,” the judge said. “I want you to come out of this and be a better person.”
The June 24 blaze at the former American Atelier furniture factory at 249 N. Front St. went to six alarms before it was brought under control nearly 11 hours later. One firefighter suffered minor injuries and eight families were temporarily displaced. Three vehicles were destroyed.
The 15-year-old told the judge that he and the 11-year-old walked to the factory with a can of gasoline because they had seen a weed trimmer there earlier and wanted to see if it worked. They found a lighter on the ground along the way.
Once at the factory, they used the gasoline to set a small fire on a gravel driveway that quickly went out.
They left, the teen told the judge, then returned to the factory a short time later and poured the rest of the gas on a loading dock on the side of the building and ignited it, using sticks and newspaper to feed the flames. The teen said they left the pile burning and walked home, turning back toward the building a few minutes later and seeing smoke.
Police used footage from city traffic cameras to identify the boys. They were cooperative and showed fire investigators where they started the blaze, according to court testimony.
The boys will have to pay restitution, though the amount has not yet been set. Chief Fire Marshal Jon Steed said the investigation, including insurance tabulations, is not yet complete.
Juvenile sentences have no set length, and must be reviewed every three months.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.