California Library Fire: Teens Charged Will Return To Juvenile Court On March

California’s Tulare County prosecutors have filed charges against two 13-year-old boys linked to a library fire last week and the teens are set to stand before juvenile court on March 11.

According to USA Today, the boys denied the charges that included two counts of murder and arson-related charges. They will not be tried as adults under California law even if they were charged with serious crimes.

The charges came after Firefighter Patrick Jones and Fire Capt. Raymond Figueroa died during the fire at the Porterville City Library last Tuesday. Jones started working for the fire department in 2017 while Figueroa has been with the department since 2007.

Under California law, police are prohibited from questioning suspects under 14. Authorities will have to depend on witness testimonies and evidence retrieved from the crime scene.

District Attorney Tim Ward has asked for the public’s patience as outrage poured out on social media amid news that the teens will not face trial as adults. Ward explained that juvenile offenders in the state are protected by the law.

On Friday, multiple outlets confirmed that the body of Jones has been retrieved from the site. The two firefighters had to go inside the building in flames to ensure that everyone was out and nobody was stranded, NBC reported.

Figueroa was removed from the burning building and rescue teams tried to save him but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Jones’ body, on the other hand, was not immediately found due to the extreme fire conditions.

Firefighters who responded to the scene were met with heavy smoke and a collapsing roof. The massive number of books and furniture burning up also made it hard for responding teams to contain the flames fast.

Initial findings by authorities suggested that the massive blaze that destroyed the old building was initiated by the two boys who have been taken to the Tulare County Juvenile Detention Facility, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In a statement, the California Fire Department heaped praises on the deceased firefighters and their service to the community. Porterville Fire Chief Dave LaPere also thanked the groups who helped in containing the flame.

LaPere expressed his gratitude to responding teams who helped the department during the past few days since Jones’ body was retrieved in the charred rubble. “The outpouring of support that we have received is indescribable,” an emotional LaPere said while speaking to reporters.