Winlock teen allegedly confesses to starting house fire

A 13-year-old Winlock girl has been referred for a charge of first-degree arson after allegedly admitting to starting a fire that burned down the home of one of her neighbors on Jan. 25, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The teen said she had used matches to start the fire, which burned down a double-wide mobile home on the 100 block of Evergreen Ln. at around 1:30 a.m., stating it was not her intent to destroy the structure or cause harm to its occupants.

The residents, two adults and two children, all of whom had been asleep at the time, escaped without injury after being alerted by smoke detectors, though the residence itself was considered a total loss.

The teen said she had started the fire out of anger, though not anger toward the victims, and had allegedly confessed to the crime while be contacted by deputies last week on an unrelated matter.