Teens Charged with Arson in Oakland Mills HS Fire

COLUMBIA, MD – Three Columbia teens were charged with arson in connection with a fire briefly cleared out Oakland Mills High School Wednesday morning, police said.

The boys—ages 14, 15 and 16—were each charged with first-degree arson, malicious burning, damaging school property and disturbing school operations.

Police responded to the school in the 9400 block of Kilimanjaro Road at 8:45 a.m. for a reported bathroom blaze.

The fire was out before 9 a.m., at which time firefighters were at the scene checking to see whether it had spread inside the school, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

By 9:15 a.m., authorities reported the school had been ventilated and students were returning to class.

There was no significant damage as a result of the fire, and nobody was injured, according to police.

This was the second time in three months that a fire has been reported at the school. In March, Oakland Mills was closed for a day after a dryer fire broke out in the locker room.

Related: Oakland Mills High School Evacuated After Fire

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.