Teens Charged With Arson in Connection With Yakima House Fire

YAKIMA -- Two teenagers have been charged with first-degree arson in connection with an October fire that destroyed a home where 11 people were living.

Joshua Bena, 19, and Benjamin Apple, 18, appeared Wednesday in Yakima County Superior Court and were released on their own recognizance pending their March 21 arraignment.

Apple told investigators that Bena set off a "mortar" in a mailbox in front of the home on 22nd Avenue, just south of Englewood, on Oct. 2. Two explosions near the house sent flares 30-40 feet into the air, sparking a fire near the porch and eventually igniting the building. The fire caused an estimated $47,000 in damage.

No one was home at the time of the fire.