Illinois Teen Admits Setting Wal-Mart Fire

A southwestern Illinois teenager faces up to four years in prison and the prospect of paying nearly $1 million in restitution for damage resulting from a Wal-Mart fire he admits setting last fall.

The Telegraph of Alton reports that 17-year-old Dustin Walls of Wood River pleaded guilty Monday on a reduced arson charge. He originally was charged with aggravated arson.

Surveillance video footage from the Wood River Wal-Mart shows Walls setting a fire last September in a shelving unit that held shampoo and hairspray. Two or three aerosol cans exploded.

Wal-Mart says the blaze caused about $983,000 in damage to merchandise and various repairs.

A sentencing date has not been set.