Eleven-year-old sets fire to two Long Island houses on July 4 – adult who provided fireworks arrested

Two homes on Long Island were badly damaged after a 33-year-old man allegedly gave an 11-year-old boy fireworks and told him to light them, authorities said Friday.

According to a Nassau County Police incident report, Karamjit Singh got his hands on an 11-year-old firework on the morning of July 4 outside his home in Levittown, New York, about 35 miles east of New York City.

After the child was instructed to light the fireworks, the ignition malfunctioned and a detached shed caught fire, police said.

According to the report, the fire then spread to Singh’s home and a neighbor’s home, causing extensive damage before Wantagh Fire Department extinguished the fires. No injuries were reported.

Singh was arrested and charged with arson, reckless endangerment, endangering a child and various fireworks offenses. The 11-year-old was released to a family member.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 31,000 fires caused by fireworks are reported each year.