Two 13-year-olds charged with setting fire at community pool in Allegheny County

ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP — Two 13-year-olds were responsible for a fire at a community pool in Elizabeth Township, according to Allegheny County police.

A building that houses bathrooms, storage and the lifeguard area at the Buena Vista Pool on Styche Street caught fire just after 3:30 Thursday morning.

The pool is owned and operated by the Buena Vista Fire Company.

“It’s been here about 70 years now and we operate it as a public swimming pool to help generate money for the fire company,” said Chief James Davenport of the Buena Vista Fire Company.

The fire chief told Channel 11 News that the fire started in the center of the building and appeared to be suspicious. Once detectives started investigating further, they found incendiary devices (Molotov Cocktails) near where the fire started.

The pool opened in June and has been running at maximum capacity.

“We were so thrilled to give the kids something to do this summer and now to take it away, it’s devastating to say the least,” said Heather Caley, the pool manager.

The pool generates money to help support the fire company and is now closed indefinitely. The teenagers are facing several felony charges, including arson.

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