A 17-year-old girl is in police custody after starting a fire at a child support center early yesterday morning.

The fire destroyed part of the centre, which is run by the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago.

According to a police report, the fire broke out at the center located at Crown Street, Tacarigua, around 1.52 am

Fire officers from the Wrightson Road and Arima fire stations responded and extinguished the blaze. However the house was partially burnt, according to the report.

Nobody was injured in the blaze.

Eighteen girls who were in the building at the time were all accounted for and temporally transferred to another facility.

Police said they received a report from a security guard at the center that the suspect was behaving in an erratic manner and destroying items in the eastern front office of the building. The guard reported she began pulling some exposed electrical wiring, which caused sparks and ignited the fire.

The two-storey concrete structure was not insured and damage is to be ascertained.

The Children’s Authority confirmed the incident in a release yesterday but said the fire was of “unknown origin”.

“There are no reports of any injuries. Quick response by caregivers and security officers on duty, in accordance with the Authority’s Critical Incident Policy, led to the immediate evacuation of all the children, who have since been relocated to another facility,” the release stated.

“Fire officers responded and were able to bring the fire under control. The top floor of the two-storey building has been damaged. The families of the children are being notified of the situation and assured that all the children are safe.”

The authority said counseling support is also being provided to the children and fire officers will be conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.