A 10-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday night after police said he set an apartment on fire in Pinellas Park.
The boy, whose name has been withheld due to his age, was charged with arson.
According to police, the boy approached another child around 6:30 p.m. at an apartment complex located at 7450 35th Street North, where he lived, and asked about using a bicycle that belonged to the child.
When the child refused to allow the boy to use the bike, police said the boy poured gasoline on the front door and the welcome mat to the child's apartment, knocked on the door, and lit it on fire.
The child saw the fire on the door through the viewing hole, and was able to call for help and escape the apartment.
The boy was located in the complex and interviewed by officers who said he admitted to the arson.
The presence of flammable liquid was also detected on the boy by a K-9 officer.
No one was injured in this incident and the extent of the damage to the residence was exclusive to the area of the front door.
The child and his mother were the only two people in the apartment at the time of the fire.