A third boy was arrested June 9 in connection with a fire at an abandoned house. The fire then spread and burned three homes, some apartments and sheds.
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On June 7 the three boys were playing inside an abandoned house on the 600 block of 7th Street.
The boys were using matches to light up some type of oil, said Lt. Rudy Salazar of the Douglas Police Department.
The boys would light the oil or pour the oil on some clothing then quickly turn it off, Salazar said.
Somehow a mattress in the bedroom caught fire. The boys were unable to extinguish the fire on the mattress. The boys became frightened and ran.
From there the abandoned house quickly caught fire. High winds also helped fuel the flames, which caused two other homes to burn.
The fire then jumped northward toward the alley, where sheds and apartments also burned.
Police evacuated residents on the 600 block of 7th Street as well as residents on the 600 block of 8th Street.
When the Cochise County Emergency Management put out the call about the fire in Douglas, fire fighters from around the county arrived into town with their own fire trucks to help.
Local merchants, citizens, as well as law enforcement agencies helped mobilize an aid station for the displaced homeowners.
The two boys arrested on June 7 are 10 years old and not nine as had been earlier reported.
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