Runaways suspected in Carson fire

Thursday, May 7, 1998 | 10:36 a.m.

Authorities say the Douglas County boys, both 16, said they were exploring the empty garage, across from the Legislative Building, when they accidentally started the fire with a torch made from a sock stuck on the end of a stick.

The fire, which caused an estimated $320,000 in damage, started when the torch brushed against some old decorative netting along one wall. District Attorney Noel Waters said the blaze wasn't deliberately set and the boys won't be charged with arson.

At most, he said they could face charges of misdemeanor negligence for the fire that destroyed the 1860s-era structure. In recent years, it had been a transmission repair shop.

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