Two Teenagers Charged With Setting Fire To American Shakespeare Theatre

The New York Times reports that two teenagers, a 17 and 18 year old, have been charged with setting fire to the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut.

The names of the teenagers are not being released as both were minors at the time. The students, who according to the Associated Press attend Stratford's Bunnell High School, were also charged with setting fire to a truck.

The January 13th fire completely destroyed the building, which was not operational at the time.

The theater opened in 1955, but by 1989 the theater closed and eventually the town assumed control. The town was preparing to restore the historic theater.

Firefighters were called at 1am, but parts of the building were already engulfed in flames. The building partially collapsed, and was still burning at 6am.

Fire marshalls told the news reporter on the scene that the building was a "total loss."