Anchorage police say they have arrested a 14-year-old Friday for setting rubber mulch on fire at an Eagle River playground last weekend.
The teenager, whom police have not identified, faces a felony charge of third-degree criminal mischief. He was taken to the McLaughlin Youth Center, police said in a statement.
On the morning of Aug. 1, the Anchorage Fire Department got a report of a fire at Alpenglow Elementary School. The flames melted a plastic slide and other playground equipment, the Anchorage School District reported.
Police said Friday that in the early morning hours of Aug. 1, the teenager had intentionally set fire to the rubber mulch.
"Before leaving the area, the juvenile smothered the fire in an attempt to put it out," police said. "Approximately six hours later, as a result of the heat of the rising sun and increased winds, the fire reignited."
The school's surveillance system and other sources helped identify the teenager, police said.
Heidi Embley, school district spokeswoman, said the fire caused about $50,000 in damage.
Earlier this year, a playground burned at Taku Elementary School in Anchorage. In June, four young people were arrested for that fire, said Renee Oistad, police spokewoman.