A 16-year-old youth has been charged with starting a fire that caused an estimated $15,000 in damage to a home in the Takhini Mobile Home Park.

Whitehorse fire chief Clive Sparks said this morning the blaze was called in at 4:41 p.m. Saturday.

It was deemed suspicious from the start, as it looked like the fire originated in two places.

'It did appear the start was not accidental, or did not appear to be accidental,' he told the Star.

Sparks said while an estimate has been placed on the total damage, it's difficult to make assessments in the case of fires involving older mobile homes.

Older mobiles were not constructed to National Building Code standards. Any major upgrading, repairs or renovation generally requires that the entire structure be brought into compliance with the building code, he said.

Sparks said bringing those older homes into compliance can be cost-prohibitive.

The identity of the youth charged is protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

He remains in custody.

The occupants of the home are renters, not the owners, he confirmed.

Sparks said most of the damage to the two-bedroom mobile was in the area of the living room.