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One arrest in trashing of Homewood Acres volunteer firehouse

HOMEWOOD ACRES, Ill. (CBS) -- One person has been arrested after a southwest suburban volunteer firehouse was vandalized.

Security video shows four vandals destroying the Homewood Acres Volunteer Fire Department late last month.

The firehouse at 3860 183rd St. in the unincorporated community of Homewood Acres was left looking like a tornado had ripped through it. Every single one of the 11 rooms in the firehouse was a disaster area.

"All the kitchen cabinets have been ripped off; the refrigerator was tipped over; the stove was pulled out and was leaking gas," Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bryan Rouson told CBS 2's Marissa Perlman.

The rooms where the team sleeps and trains were likewise left in tatters. Furniture was tipped over and strewn everywhere.

"I think we'd be better off if they had burned it to the ground," Rouson said.

At the time, investigators said the vandals were believed to be children between 9 and 14 years old. They caused at least $100,000 worth of damage.

So far, there has been just one arrest in the case. But the investigation continues.

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