Two teenagers charged for fire at Oxnard high school

OXNARD, Calif. – Two 16-year-olds were charged with arson for their involvement in a late-night fire at Hueneme High School in Oxnard, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.

The Oxnard Fire Department and Police Department responded to an active fire at the high school just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, according to the District Attorney's Office.

When the fire was extinguished, crews found evidence that it had been intentionally started in the school cafeteria, said Supervising Deputy District Attorney Maureen Byrne.

The kitchen had also been vandalized, and school surveillance footage showed the teenagers climbing out of a broken cafeteria window, Byrne said.

The Oxnard Police Department later learned that the teenagers had recorded themselves inside the building as the smoke filled it up and posted the recording on social media.

The fire completely destroyed the kitchen area of the cafeteria and the property loss is estimated at around $300,000, Byrne said.

The teenagers are being held at the Ventura County Juvenile Justice Facility. They will be arraigned separately at the Juvenile Justice Courthouse on May 19 and May 20.