According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, a 13-year-old was identified as the suspect who started the fire.
The sheriff’s office said the teen was booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center Wednesday morning for first-degree arson.
According to the sheriff’s office, the fire resulted in an estimated loss of over $50,000 in merchandise and fire-related damage.
The sheriff’s office said detectives believe that two other minors were with the suspect at the time of the fires. The sheriff’s office said the suspect used a torch-type lighter to burn holes in boxes that had merchandise in them before walking away.
The box caught on fire and lit other boxes on fire, which triggered the fire suppression system and sprinklers.
In May, the Spokane Valley Fire Department said firefighters responded to a single-head sprinkler activation at the Spokane Valley Mall inside the JCPenney store at around 8 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
The fire department said the sprinklers did their job and stopped the forward progress of the fire.
JCPenney General Manager Aaron Klennert said damage to the merchandise was limited, and the majority of the damage was structural due to excessive water from the sprinklers.
Klennert said the fire happened on the top floor of the store in the home section, just minutes before closing time. Staff said it took a while to turn off the sprinklers, causing about three inches of water to spread across the floor and seep down into the ceiling of the first floor.
