(PROSPECT HEIGHTS) A 14-year-old boy is accused of burning his home down early Monday in northwest suburban Prospect Heights.
About 3:30 a.m., crews responded to the one-story, ranch-style home in the 1200 block of North Stratford Road, authorities said.
The fire had started in the basement and moved up to the attic, eventually leveling the home and burning down electrical lines in the backyard, Prospect Heights fire department Chief Donald Gould said. It was extinguished about a half-hour later with the help of about 15 fire companies, Gould said.
A woman from the home and a police officer were taken to a hospital with minor injuries from the fire and have been released. Three others were treated on the scene, Gould said.
When crews first arrived, a man who lived at the home told firefighters his 14-year-old son was still in the house. Authorities did not find him after an extensive search, and police issued a missing persons alert, Prospect Heights police chief James Dunne said.
About 9 a.m., Arlington Heights police found the boy in the 500 block of Euclid Avenue, Dunne said. He was taken back to Prospect Heights, where he was reunited with his family,
But after an investigation, police discovered the boy had set the house on fire. Dunne could not provide more details.
The boy, whose name is not released because of his age, is charged as a juvenile with three counts of aggravated arson, Dunne said.
