A fire that broke out last month at a Gatineau elementary school was started by two children under the age of 12, police said Thursday.
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The fire started in the morning of April 13 in a bathroom at l’Oiseau Bleu school, located on Nelligan Street.
Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control, while students and school staff were evacuated.
No one was injured in the incident.
Suspecting that the fire was not of accidental origin, the Gatineau police had opened an investigation to find out the exact cause.
Quickly, suspicion turned to two students at the school “under the age of 12”, according to the authorities, who do not specify the exact age of the arsonists.
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Various investigative approaches were used to identify them as the perpetrators of the fire, which damaged the school bathroom. These are two little girls.
“The two students, accompanied by their parents, were met by the investigators in order to make them aware of the dangers and the various possible consequences of their action,” said the Gatineau police in a press release.
No criminal charges will be brought against the two girls in this case, since to be criminally responsible for their actions, a person must be at least 12 years old by law.
The event was still “documented in a police report”, said the authorities.