Three 11-year-olds are facing fourth-degree arson charges over starting a 1.5-acre brush fire in Longmont Sunday afternoon, according to Longmont Fire.
Molly Cropp, the Longmont Fire spokesperson, said fire crews had to be called to the area of Harvard Street and Lakeshore Drive over reports of a brush fire burning on the east side of McIntosh Lake at 4:15 on Sunday afternoon.
Crews found cattails on fire near the parking area on the eastern edge of the lake, Cropp said. Because of the intensity of the fire and the amount of cattails nearby, additional crews were called in.
The fire was brought under control in about an hour, Cropp said.
Witnesses told investigators they saw kids in the area lighting things on fire. Cropp said that fire investigators caught up with the juveniles in question - three 11-year-old boys - and said they will be charged with fourth-degree arson.
The group will be referred to the Longmont Community Justice Partnership and the juvenile fire setter program.