FARMINGTON – Three juveniles face charges after admitting Tuesday to entering a vacant school building in Phillips last month and attempting to start a fire.

The school on Russell Street was entered by several juveniles, Lt. Niles Yeaton of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Wednesday. Deputy Sandy Burke responded to a reported burglary on Feb. 20 at the school and investigated, he said.

While in the school, the juveniles allegedly attempted to set a fire on the floor by squirting lighter fluid on it and tossing lit matches on to the fluid. The fire went out, but the Fire Department was called, said Detective David St. Laurent, who assisted Burke with interviewing the juveniles Tuesday.

Police interviewed the juveniles after hearing from other juveniles that they may have been involved and a passerby was able to identify one youth who was hanging around the building, St. Laurent said.

Two boys and one girl admitted to entering the building, starting the fire and damaging light bulbs and a window Tuesday.

One boy and the girl are from Phillips and the other boy is from Strong. Charges are pending for review by juvenile authorities, the statement said.

During the initial investigation, Deputy Burke was assisted at the scene by Cpl. Nathan Bean and State Fire Marshal Investigator Edward Hastings.