"After a very short amount of questioning about it, they admitted to the fire," McGee said.
The teenagers, two aged 15 and one 14-year-old, also admitted to vandalism in the Gruening Building a week earlier, in which large amounts of toilet paper were stuffed into sinks, urinals and toilets, McGee said.
One teen faces a felony arson charge, said Lt. Syrilyn Tong. The other two were detained for criminal mischief. Police might file burglary charges too, she said.
A music employee trailed the juveniles as they walked toward West Valley High School, Tong said. He called the police, who detained the teens and then released them to their parents, she said.
The case has been referred to the Fairbanks Youth Facility. Because of their young ages, police would not release the teenagers' names. At least two of the teens attend West Valley, Tong said.
The fire caused students and staff to evacuate the Fine Arts Building for more than an hour Wednesday. Repairs, clean up and labor could cost over $10,000, said Dave Miller, superintendent of maintenance for Facility Services.
The fire began in a restroom stall in a downstairs men's bathroom across from the Salisbury Theater and near a music instrument locker room.
Music staffers were preparing for Thursday and Friday's UAF Jazz Festival when the fire was lit.
Chad Stadig, director of performance operations for the Department of Music, was setting-up sound equipment and risers for the festival when he spotted the fire and called for help.
"The whole top of the hallway was full of smoke," he said.
Police received the call at about 12 p.m., Tong said. Sprinklers had extinguished most of the fire by the time the four police officers arrived, she said.
The fire department dispatched four vehicles and 10 firefighters, said Fire Chief Edith Curry.
Mounds of burnt toilet paper were scattered across the floor and on top of the toilet. The fire alarm and a plastic light cover were partially melted. Another lighting fixture was in pieces on the ground.
"Total mess, total waste," said Linda Harringer, a music department administrative assistant.
The music department has been plagued by vandalism lately, she said. Earlier this week, they found toilet paper strewn across the halls, she said. Earlier Wednesday, someone set-off a false fire alarm.
The department was initially concerned about damage to musical instruments from sprinklers, said John Hopkins, department chair. Harps sit on the ground and many lockers are close to the ground, he said.
Luckily, though, major damage seemed to have been averted, he said.
"Some cases got wet, but just damp," Hopkins said.
The incident is the first on-campus fire of the year, according the UAF Fire Department statistics. The department has responded to 17 off-campus fires in 2006.
