Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with an incident where a lit firecracker was thrown into a California apartment nursery, causing a fire and smoke damage. The event took place on June 30 around 7 p.m. in Citrus Heights.
When authorities arrived, they discovered a mattress ablaze in a bedroom. Fire crews managed to control the flames, but smoke damage rendered the contents of the room unsalvageable. The room had been prepared as a nursery for Noah, the unborn son of Anthony Cadena and Lellises Morgans.
Video footage of the incident shows two young girls outside the residence appearing to direct the camera's attention. After identifying an open window, they looked inside before igniting a firecracker and tossing it into the room. A dog could be heard barking in the background as the firecracker was thrown.
The girls fled the scene before the video cut out, which captured the sound of a smoke alarm.
According to reports, the incident stemmed from a prior disagreement involving a girl who resides in the home. No one was injured during the event. Cadena stated he was home playing a video game when his wife called to inform him about the fire. He found the nursery engulfed in flames and, with the assistance of a bystander, used a garden hose to suppress the fire before emergency services arrived.
"Seeing someone actually do that to someone's house... they saw it was a baby room... just to see that these girls just don't care about anything... it's unbelievable, honestly, that they would do something like that," Morgans commented.
An online fundraiser was established to assist the family in covering the costs of replacing the nursery items and repairing the room. The campaign has raised nearly $24,000, surpassing its $20,000 goal. The funds are intended to help the expecting parents as they prepare for their baby's arrival, now facing unexpected expenses due to the fire damage.