Two 10-year-old Millington boys may face arson charges stemming from a storage shed fire Monday in a neighborhood south of Coos Bay.

Millington Rural Fire District Chief Drew Solomon first noticed the blaze at about 6:30 p.m., from the station. He and eight firefighters, one engine, one heavy rescue vehicle and a squad pickup went to the area and found a blazing wooden shed at 93773 High Lane. 

The fire was in one room of the small, two-room storage shed. Firefighters doused the flames in about 20 minutes but remained on the scene for nearly two hours. He added that without recent rain showers, the fire could have easily spread to heavy brush. Nearby trees were scorched.

Solomon said the blaze was caused when the boys, who used the shed as a fort, started a small fire in a metal barrel. They tried to extinguish it with water but it was not entirely out. He estimated damages to be about $2,000 for the shed and its contents. The property is owned by Meredith Dooley.

A press release from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office stated that fire personnel called in deputies to assist in the investigation Tuesday and from that investigation the two boys were identified as starting the fire. They have been referred to the Juvenile Department for second-degree arson.