Two boys set fire to slide at Knolls Vista

MOSES LAKE - A fifth-grader and seventh-grader confessed to partially damaging a playground tunnel at Knolls Vista Elementary School.

The boys, ages 11 and 13, reportedly got into the tunnel structure on Sunday afternoon and started lighting paper on fire, according to Knolls Vista Elementary School Principal Mike Riggs.

The fire melted the structure.

Witnesses walking near the playground at 4:43 p.m. noticed the fire and called 9-1-1. Moses Lake Fire Department were dispatched to the scene, according to Capt. Dave Holle.

Firefighters got to the structure after it had been burning for about 15 minutes, said Holle.

One of the boys responsible for the tunnel damage reportedly panicked when he saw the fire department and Moses Lake police investigating the scene, according to Riggs.

The fifth-grader confessed to his mother what he had done and the mother, along with the seventh-grader's father, brought the two to Knolls Vista Elementary School on Monday morning to confess, said Riggs.

"The boys said they wanted to go to the lake at first and build a campfire. When I asked them why did they do it in the tunnel, they said they didn't want anyone to see them," said Riggs. "They seemed remorseful."

The boys live near the school, said Riggs.

The seventh-grader is a former Knolls Vista elementary student, according to Riggs.

The boys are on emergency expulsion from the school district. Once school officials have figured out the details of the incident, the boys will likely be placed on a two-day suspension, said Riggs.

"There will also be equipment cost restitution," Riggs sad.

He estimated equipment replacement will cost around $2,000.

"I can't say enough about the parents in this situation. I am honored and pleased that they did the right thing and brought their sons forward," he said.

Riggs said he hopes to have equipment replacement plans by Wednesday.

"The headache now is to get the (tunnel) parts ordered and installed," he said.