Juvenile accused of causing brush fire

A Vancouver boy made a first appearance in Clark County Juvenile Court on Thursday after allegedly setting a field on fire when he shot Roman candles out the window of a moving vehicle.

The boy, whose name is being withheld, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree arson in connection with the fire.

According to a probable cause affidavit, at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, two witnesses said they saw a teenage boy shooting Roman candles from a van traveling near the intersection of Northeast Delfel Road and Northeast 194th Street. The witnesses said they then noticed that a field between Northeast Delfel Road and Interstate 5 had caught on fire.

Clark County Fire and Rescue responded to fight the blaze, court records said.

The suspect van was followed to an address in the 400 block of Northeast 194th Street, where a Clark County sheriff’s deputy contacted the juvenile.

The boy reportedly told police he shot two Roman candles, a total of six fireballs, from his mother’s passenger seat. He said it was “a very stupid thing to do and he was just trying to have fun even though his mother was yelling at him to stop,” according to the affidavit.

The boy, who appeared to be out of custody Thursday morning, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 17.