Two 16-year-olds were arrested for starting that massive fire back in July that burned down homes and left a neighborhood in pieces. Turns out, these teens were messing around with illegal fireworks, and things went horribly wrong. To make matters worse, there’s another minor involved who’s also facing some serious charges, according to officials.

Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson broke the news on Thursday, sharing that these kids are now in juvenile detention. And honestly, who can blame her for being furious? “All fireworks are illegal in the City of Riverside for a reason,” she said, pointing out that this wasn’t just a harmless mistake—it was a disaster waiting to happen. The fire, which kicked off around 1 p.m. on July 21, spread fast thanks to the blazing 100-degree heat and some pretty strong winds. Before you knew it, seven homes were reduced to ashes, 18 more were damaged, and over 600 acres were scorched. The damage? A whopping $28 million! And let’s not forget the massive $1.5 million hit to the city just for responding to this chaos.

So, how did they catch these kids? Good old-fashioned detective work. Apparently, some video footage captured these troublemakers speeding away in a silver pickup truck right after the fireworks went off. Chief Larry Gonzalez from the Riverside Police Department said they canvassed the neighborhood, found the truck, and eventually tracked down the three teens involved. Search warrants were served, and investigators even seized electronic devices from their homes. Talk about a serious crackdown!

While the fire was finally contained about eight days later, the scars—both emotional and physical—are still fresh for the community. People who lost their homes are still trying to pick up the pieces. And even for those whose homes weren’t completely destroyed, the psychological trauma is real. As Riverside City Councilmember Chuck Condor put it, “To those who had minor damage or no damage, you still suffered tremendous emotional scars. It’s hard for me to imagine what you all thought that day.”

This story is a tough reminder of how quickly things can go from fun to fatal. Hopefully, this will serve as a wake-up call for others who think about messing around with dangerous stuff like fireworks. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this fire—let’s hope they find some peace and rebuild stronger than ever.