ADAMS TWP — A fire started this morning in one of the buildings at the Mars Home for Youth facility off Route 228 may have been a diversion for several teenagers to steal a car from a limousine service.

Township Police Chief Bill Westerman said the fire started by a girl in the Collins Cottage building appears to have been done to deflect attention from the planned theft.

The facility’s staff called 911 at 4:28 a.m. to report the fire had been doused but to request that emergency services respond as a precaution. The Adams Area Fire District was assisted by the Cranberry and Callery volunteer fire departments. Crews cleared the scene at 5:10 a.m. At 6:13 a.m., the limousine service driver reported his black Cadillac sedan was stolen.

The driver answered a phone call requesting a ride, arriving at Mars High School, which sits across Route 228 from Mars Home for Youth.

He said that once he got out of the vehicle, the youths sped off with the car.