Somewhere in Florida, Smokey the Bear is turning over in his cave.
A 12-year-old South Florida boy faces a third-degree felony charge after police say he started a brush fire that took hours to get under control over the weekend.
The Jupiter kid allegedly started the blaze at a nature preserve in the Abacoa community Saturday afternoon. Police have not released what the the boy and another young accomplice were doing to start the fire.
Authorities said the other boy involved, also 12, is expected to be charged with the same crime.
Chances are the two boys probably have never heard of Smokey or his public service announcements on forest fires. Maybe police should sit them in a room and make them watch a few of the old commercials.
No homes were threatened and no one was injured in the one-acre blaze, which took firefighters a couple of hours to contain. Jupiter police said witness descriptions helped solve the case.
The boy was not booked into jail and will remain with his parents. Authorities say the second boy will likely remain with his family after his arrest.
Local
Intentional burning of land is punishable by up to five years in jail.
