Teen charged with torching building

Kalispell police arrested a 17-year-old boy Monday and charged him with burglary and arson.

Police say the teen is responsible for setting fire to a Montana Department of Transportation storage facility at 85 Fifth Ave. E.N. just after 4 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities estimate there was $25,000 in damage to equipment and supplies at the storage facility. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters arriving on the scene Saturday morning found two structures on fire - the Department of Transportation storage facility and an adjacent, privately owned storage shed. Engines were routed to both structures while additional crews removed a fence between the two buildings, according to the Kalispell Fire Department.

The second building at 40 Seventh Ave. E.N. was damaged but not destroyed.

About an hour before the fire, a nearby restaurant reported a 16- or 17-year-old male had left without paying. The restaurant's manager was able to record

the license plate number of the car he drove off in, and police later connected it with the arson.

The privately owned warehouse, which wasn't destroyed in Saturday's fire, caught fire again Sunday morning just before 7 a.m. This time the building and its contents were a total loss, but firefighters were able to save neighboring structures.

The investigation into this second fire is still ongoing, but it, too, appears to have been set deliberately, according to the Fire Department.

Anyone with information about the fires is encouraged to call the Kalispell Police Department's detective division at (406) 758-7787 or Crime Stoppers at 752-TIPS.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com