Suspect in custody after fire at middle school - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

After firefighters fought an intentionally-set blaze at Mooresville's Paul Hadley Middle School Saturday, school surveillance video helped investigators nab a suspect. 

Matt Skylar, 19, Mooresville is in the Morgan County Jail, facing charges of arson, burglary, theft, trespassing and criminal mischief.

Video from the school determined that Skylar walked around the school and started a series of small fires. One fire was in trash can that did set off the sprinkler system, and it did contain the fire.

School hours will be normal Monday, but clean-up is going to be a problem..

In an earlier release, a fire department spokesman says the fire was prevented from spreading by an activated sprinkler head. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire, remove the smoke from the building, and shut off the sprinkler head.

Mooresville fire and police investigators, working with school officials, determined the fire was intentionally set.

Mooresville Schools officials issued the following statement:

Officials at Mooresville Schools and local emergency responders were alerted to a small fire in Paul Hadley Middle School early Saturday morning through school alarm systems. The fire was quickly extinguished by a single sprinkler. School officials say that there were small amounts of damage in various areas of the building but nothing which will create a problem for school on Monday. "We are very thankful to our firefighters for containing the fire quickly and preventing further damage as well as our local police for their quick and effective response," said Superintendent Brad Lindsay, "Our maintenance staff and safety director also played important roles in responding to this situation." According to Detective Brad Yarnell of the Mooresville Police Department, the school's camera system provided enough footage for police to identify the suspect. The suspect was apprehended, admitted to the crime, and has been taken to the Morgan County Jail. School officials will be working to clean the building this weekend. Any youth leagues or other groups scheduled to use the PHMS facility before Monday will not to be able to do so.