Four juveniles will be petitioned to court for allegedly setting four fires, including one which destroyed a clothing donation box and its contents on Jackson Street near McDonald's Thursday night.

Fires were also set in what is referred to as the no hundred block of Jackson Street as well as Preston Street, Roanoke Rapids Fire Chief Gary Corbet said this morning.

A dumpster was set on fire at Food Lion on Jackson Street and leaves and other debris were set on fire on the Jackson Street extension and Preston Street.

The fires are not believed to the be pre-Halloween pranks, Captain Andy Jackson of the police department said, but pressure from two of the juveniles to encourage the other two juveniles to do so.

Police and fire received the calls shortly before 10:30 p.m. When Officer Thomas Mason arrived the fire department was on the scene at the donation box fire. Firefighters, Corbet said, also observed the dumpster fire at Food Lion and attended to that because it was closer to the building.

During this, the fire department began receiving calls of other fires and the fire department dispatched a truck from Station 2 to assist.

A couch put out for pickup had began to catch fire.

As firefighters attended to the fires, Mason began an investigation and located several juveniles who he interviewed. After the interviews Detective Jeff Baggett sought petitions for the boys, aged 13 and 14.

Jackson said damage to the donation box and its contents was about $1,000. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fires before houses were damaged, although they left burn marks in yards.

Corbet said the fires appeared to be started by use of a lighter and possibly lighter fluid.