Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Police Arrest Child for Arson in Hicksville Fire
Two structures destroyed in blaze; no injuries reported.
Police have arrested an 11-year-old boy who was allegedly responsible for starting a fire in Hicksville Saturday afternoon.
According to police, at 1:40 p.m., the child used a BIC lighter to ignite plastic packing material, which lead to the garage catching fire. The child left the scene before flames engulfed the garage.
The aided at the scene, and according to First Assistant Chief Nick Corrado, the fire spread to a neighboring residence on East John Street. A person home at the time of the blaze was not injured in the fire.
Find out what's happening in East Meadowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Both structures were destroyed," Corrado said. "The fire spread quickly."
According to police, 12 residents were "displaced due to the fire," and they were assisted by the American Red Cross.
Find out what's happening in East Meadowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Hicksville Fire Department was assisted by the Jericho, Plainview, Westbury, Levittown and East Meadow Fire Departments with 150 firefighters, 15 pieces of fire apparatus to help extinguish the blaze. Three firefighters sustained minor injuries.
The child is charged with 4th Degree Arson, and will be arraigned in family court in Westbury on June 17. He was released into his mother's custody.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
