Boys, 10 and 12, Are Charged in Brush Fires

Two boys were charged with setting weekend brush fires that burned more than 1,500 acres in southwest Florida, authorities said. More than two dozen homes were destroyed or damaged.

The boys, 10 and 12, were charged in Lehigh Acres with intentional and reckless burning of land, a third-degree felony. They were charged as juveniles, said Lt. Robert Forrest of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Both were being held at the county juvenile detention center, he said. Authorities were seeking a third youth.

The blaze was 75% contained Sunday afternoon but firefighters worried that wind and rising temperatures could stoke hot spots, said Gerry LaCavera, a state wildfire specialist.