Teen Charged With Arson Following Fire At Old Joliet Prison
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with Monday's raging fire at the old Joliet prison.
Joliet police released a photo Tuesday in hopes of tracking down persons of interest following the fire, which erupted around 7 p.m. Memorial Day at the former Joliet Correctional Center on Collins Street.
On Tuesday, police say the juvenile they arrested "had a lighter and had set some papers on fire intentionally while inside the prison grounds." The teen was charged with one count of arson and sent to a juvenile detention facility.
The news release said another juvenile was questioned, but no charges were filed against him.
The fire burned for at least a couple of hours before firefighters got it under control around 10 p.m. Monday. The roof caved in as a result of the blaze.
The shuttered prison is owned by the state of Illinois, but Joliet's mayor said there is a proposal before the City Council to purchase the property so it can be rehabbed or possibly torn down and used as a quarry, because it has fallen into disrepair. He said it's "just a matter of time" before there is a tragic accident at the shuttered prison.
The cause of the fire was under investigation Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported.
