Two teens lighting sparklers that accidentally started a house fire Monday night in central Tucson were arrested, cited and released to their parents, police said.
The teens were playing with fireworks in a nearby parking lot and started a fire that spread to a house in which a 58-year-old man and his service dog escaped with the help of officers. No one was injured in the blaze.
Sgt. Kimberly Bay, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman, said both teens were cited on suspicion of criminal damage and endangerment, and reckless burning.
Shortly before 9 p.m. June 26, Tucson Fire Department firefighters received several 911 calls reporting a backyard fire near the 5100 block of East 23rd Street, in the area of South Rosemont Avenue and East 22nd Street, said fire Capt. Andy Skaggs.
One of the calls came from the Tucson Police Department, which had officers answering a call on the block when they noticed smoke and an orange glow coming from the house, Skaggs said.
The resident of the home was sleeping at the time, but woke up when his service dog started tugging on his arm. Officers had entered the home and were able to help the man and his dog evacuate safely before the fire made its way inside, Skaggs said.
The house was 75 percent involved in flames when the first fire truck arrived on scene less than five minutes after the calls came in, Skaggs said. Crews used hose lines to hit the fire from outside the house and aerial ladders to spray water from above.
However, because of wind gusts the fire spread very quickly, Skaggs said.
It took 27 firefighters about 25 minutes to bring the fire under control. The Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted the man and his dog.
