Teens toyed with flames, caused W.H. blaze

They were really playing with fire.

The two 14-year-olds charged with starting a fire last week that damaged a West Hempstead elementary school set papers on fire and then threw an aerosol can into the blaze to see what would happen, police said.

What happened shortly thereafter is likely seared into their memories: The can ruptured, causing flames to engulf a temporary building attached to the George Washington Elementary School.

What the boys didn’t see coming was the hospitalization of Superintendent John Hogan, who became ill at the scene of the Aug. 9 blaze. According to witnesses, Hogan suffered a heart attack while watching the building burn and had to be revived at the scene before being transported to Winthrop University Hospital. Neither police nor school officials would confirm that information, and Hogan was still in the hospital as of press time.

Police charged the pair with fourth-degree arson, a felony, but would not identify them because of their age. They were charged as juveniles, according to Detective Lt. Kevin Power, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department’s arson and bomb investigation squad.

Power said that the boys were playing with a cigarette lighter and setting fire to pieces of paper on a concrete patio near the annex, which housed three first-grade classrooms. Then, at around 8:35 p.m., they threw the aerosol can into the fire and it blew up. Neighbors reported hearing an explosion and seeing people running from the William Street school.

Arson investigators identified the local boys with the help of residents and witnesses, and arrested and charged them the following night.

When asked whether this was the result of ignorance about fire safety, Power said it appeared to be a case of curiosity. “It was, ‘Let’s see what happens when we place [the aerosol can] in fire,’” he said.

“Education is always good,” Power continued. “And the fire service, the Nassau County fire marshal, does do school education programs throughout the school year, so people do hear about the dangers of fire and what can happen. So those programs are out there, but it’s still not going to take an interest away from a child or person if their mindset is to do it.”

The teens were released on Family Court appearance tickets and are scheduled to face juvenile delinquency charges later this month, Power said.

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said teens loitering at the school building at night have caused problems in the neighborhood. “They have no fear,” she said. “This is their hangout.”

The neighbor, who lives across the street from the school, said she and others have complained to the school principal and repeatedly called police to report the teens, who sometimes show up in groups of 10 or 15. “They don’t realize what they’re doing — that people have to live in fear,” said the neighbor, who claims that a group of teens threw a brick at her front door after she told them to stop climbing atop air conditioners outside the school building.

“They gave the superintendent a heart attack, and they’re killing everybody else around here,” she said. “They’re putting people in the hospital and they keep going. They get away with it.”

According to the neighbor, the problem is that the school has no security past 8 p.m., but the “action,” she said, usually begins around 9:30. She also complained that police cars do not patrol the area often enough.

In response, school officials said the district provides uniformed security on site after school hours until the SCOPE child care program is dismissed. Additionally, they said, a districtwide mobile security force is deployed Friday and Saturday nights in the spring, summer and fall months to monitor district schools.

“As a matter of practice, when we are made aware of a security concern, we pass it on to Nassau County police and, when necessary, directly to the local precinct,” said Deputy Superintendent Richard Cunningham. “In addition, all of our principals work closely with the precinct’s officer to resolve any security-related issue.”

“The only thing we want around here,” the neighbor said, “is someone to just drive around and patrol the school. Just patrol it — that’s all we’re asking.”

Police officials said that officers do regular night patrols throughout the county.

Barely 24 hours after the fire, school officials reported that fire remediation specialists monitored by an independent environmental engineering firm began a “complete top-to-bottom cleaning” of the school building. It included ceilings, heating units, books and periodicals, loudspeakers, door hardware and even inside computers, according to Cunningham, who has taken over Hogan’s responsibilities. The work was expected to be completed in a week’s time.

“While there is extensive damage to the school’s portable classrooms, the rest of the building was not affected and will be ready for the start of the school year,” Cunningham said. “We are confident that we can accommodate all students scheduled to attend the school without affecting class size.”

Some 62 first-grade students were expected to begin classes in the annex this fall. Space in the remainder of the building has been reallocated to make room for the new students, according to Cunningham, and classes will begin as scheduled on Sept. 7.

In the meantime, the administration is working with insurance adjusters to determine whether to rebuild or demolish the annex, which has been on the school property since the 1970s.

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