WENATCHEE — A 14-year-old boy whose Rock Island home burned down in a fire Oct. 28 was booked Monday morning at the Chelan County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree arson, said Justin Cafferty, deputy prosecutor for Douglas County.

On Monday afternoon, Douglas County Court Commissioner Judy McCauley ruled there was probable cause for the charge and set bail at $20,000 during the boy’s preliminary appearance before the court, Cafferty said. Prosecutors have 72 hours from the preliminary appearance to file formal charges.

The boy, who had been missing since the fire, was brought to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Friday by his mother, a Tacoma resident. Undersheriff Don Culp said the boy had been living in the Rock Island home with his biological father and stepmother.

Before Monday’s hearing, the boy had been held in the juvenile detention center on an at-risk petition warrant. At at-risk youth petition, which is requested by parents and is approved by a judge, was in place before the fire, according to Cafferty. At-risk youth petitions are civil matters but are handled through the juvenile court system.

Parents can seek an at-risk youth petition if their child meets one of three criteria, said Douglas County Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal:

• If the youth is absent from the home for at least 72 hours without consent.

• If the youth is beyond the control of the parents such that the behavior endangers the health, safety and welfare of the child or other persons.

• If the youth has a substance-abuse problem for which there are no pending criminal charges.

The fire destroyed the home, in the 1500 block of Ohio Street, west of Rock Island. The owners of the burned home have asked not to be identified.

Family members initially feared the boy was injured in the fire and was still inside the home. Firefighters searched the home numerous times, looking for him, and determined that he was not in the house.

Firefighters estimated there was flame damage to 70 percent of the home, and smoke and water damage to the entire main floor.

A gas can found inside the home after the fire was put out led investigators to suspect arson, Culp said Thursday. At the time Culp called the boy a person of interest in the investigation. He is the last one known to have been in the house. He was dropped off at the home about an hour before the fire was reported.

The boy and his mother refused to answer questions after she dropped him off at the sheriff’s office, said Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal. It is not known where he was staying after the fire.

The sheriff said the investigation into the suspected arson continues, and detectives are asking anyone with information on the fire to contact them either at 884-0941 or through the RiverCom dispatch center at 663-9911.

The Northwest Insurance Council and the Arson Alarm Foundation announced Friday morning they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone whose actions caused the fire at the home.

The insurance council, which funds the Arson Alarm Foundation, is a nonprofit public education organization that represents property and casualty insurers, said Darrin Sanger, communications director for the Seattle-based organization.

Dee Riggs: 664-7147

deeriggs@wenatcheeworld.com