Palo Alto Teen Arrested, Accused Of Setting Community Center Fire

PALO ALTO, CA — Police in Palo Alto on Monday arrested a teenager on suspicion of setting a fire at Cubberley Community Center.

Palo Alto firefighters responded Sunday to the center, located at 4000 Middlefield Road, around 12:01 a.m. on a reported fire alarm. Crews performed an area check but did not find any fire, police said.

At 12:53 a.m., police dispatch got a report from a passerby of smoke seen and smelled at the community center. The fire department returned and found a fire burning in the building's B-wing.

The fire was contained and there were no injuries, police said.

A joint arson investigation was launched with police and fire and it revealed that the fire had been set immediately adjacent to two classrooms operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District for post-secondary education classes. The fire then spread and severely damaged the classrooms, police said.

The precise cause and origin of the blaze are still under investigation.

Police, fire and the school district worked to identify the suspect, a 16-year-old boy. He was arrested at Greer Park around 9:04 p.m. on Monday on suspicion of felony arson, police said.
The boy was transported to juvenile hall and as he is under the age of 18, his name is not being released.

Detectives believe the same boy is responsible for lighting a small fire on a picnic table at Ohlone Elementary School on Amarillo Avenue about 3:30 a.m. later that Sunday morning. The fire was discovered after it had burned itself out without causing extensive damage, police said.

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