Fire at Monrovia High School set by juvenile

A fire believed set by a juvenile caused severe damage to the counseling office on the Monrovia High School campus early this morning, authorities said.

The fire at the school at 845 W. Colorado Blvd. was reported at 12:23a.m., said Monrovia police Sgt. R. Wilken.

Flames could be seen coming out windows on the second and third floor of what was identified on broadcast reports as the administration building.

Witnesses at the scene said firefighters had all the flames out by 3:30a.m.

A boy was arrested for arson, Wilken said. "There is severe damage. The principal says school will be in session.''

An email blast confirming that classes will be held was to be sent out to parents this morning.

From Sandra Endo:

Flames shooting out of a first floor classroom at Monrovia high school had fire crews rushing to the scene at around 1230 this morning.

Senior Alyssa curry ran across the street to see what was going on, "I went outside I was in shock I was like whoa my school is on fire."

At first the call came in about a some people possibly setting fires in the area but no other fires were found.
Monrovia police say a witness saw a person throwing objects into the window of the school and that individual, a juvenile, was taken into custody a few blocks away. The suspect was a student at the school.
The damage from the fire is a big concern for students and their parents who are preparing for the college application process.

Robert curry says, "Today is one of deadlines for college documents to be sent in. This impacts so many students. It's disturbing."

Firefighters did what they could to protect school records by moving documents to a safer location but the principal says there is no doubt some documents were damaged.

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