JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy has been charged with starting a fire that caused heavy damage to a building at an abandoned prison in northern Illinois.
Joliet police say they received numerous tips via social media linking Monday’s fire to two 15-year-old boys, who were at the prison at the time of the fire.
Police say one of the boys allegedly used a lighter to set some papers on fire. He was charged Tuesday with arson. The other boy was released without being charged. Police say the fire at the Joliet Correctional Center’s industries building spread to exposed insulation before gutting the building.
No injuries were reported.
The prison, which closed in 2002, is featured in “The Blues Brothers” movie as well as the TV series “Prison Break.”