SEQUIM — Two children have been questioned and are suspected in the arson of a vacant home earlier this week.
The children, who were not identified because they are minors, were interviewed by Sequim police Tuesday after a woman brought her 11-year-old son to the Clallam County Fire District No. 3 station, 3325 N. Fifth Ave., to turn himself in, the Sequim Police Department said in a statement.
The second child, 12, was later identified and interviewed as well, the statement said.
Witnesses reported seeing two minors in the area around the time of the 4:30 p.m. Monday fire, police said.
The fire was ignited in an old, vacant fire farm at 526 S. Ninth Ave. in the kitchen area, said Fire Marshal Roger Moeder.
“It appears that it was set while the boys were playing with matches,” he said.
Neither boy was injured in the fire, which consumed the home, he said.
The home has been vacant for more than 10 years, he said.
It is owned by siblings Norman Dawley and Elizabeth Frankfurth, he said.
The boys were not arrested but were released to their parents until the Clallam County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office determines whether charges will be filed, said Officer Maris Turner, spokeswoman for the Sequim Police Department.
Fifteen firefighters arrived at the fire at about 4:45 p.m. and had it contained in about 20 minutes.
There was no electricity to the structure, Moeder said.
The house was not insured, Moeder said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
