West Linn HS.jpg

(The Oregonian/OregonLive file photo)

A teen girl accused of starting several small fires Monday inside a West Linn High School locker room is facing a first-degree arson charge, police said.

The fires forced officials to send students home early Monday, a Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said. The 15-year-old girl is being held in a juvenile detention facility in Portland, West Linn police said in a news release.

Fire crews responded around 10 a.m. to the high school on West A Street and extinguished the fires quickly, but the damage left the building smelling like smoke, TVF&R spokeswoman Kim Haughn said. As a precaution, the school principal ended classes around 11:30 a.m.

"It appears they (the fires) were intentionally set," Haughn said about the combination of clothing and towels that were lit. Fire investigators and West Linn detectives were still at the school around 12:15 p.m. reviewing security camera footage from other parts of the school building for clues, Haugn said.

No one was injured and all students evacuated. The air quality was tested inside the school and shows it's safe, Haughn said.

Police said classes will be in session again Tuesday. They didn't publicly identify the girl.

Wilsonville School District administrators could not be immediately reached for comment.

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com

503-294-5928

@tonyhreports

Jim Ryan of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report