Child playing with lighter sets apartment on fire
A fire in apartment 15 of the Kitty Hawk complex on February 4 resulted in some damage but no injuries for a woman and her grandson who occupied the apartment, stated a Columbia Fire Department news release.
Officials said the cause of the fire was the child playing with a lighter.
Gladys Sanders, the resident of the apartment, discovered the fire after a smoke detector went off. She found her grandson playing with the lighter in a bedroom where the fire had started, the news release stated.
Everyone escaped safely from the surrounding apartments before firefighters arrived on the scene. Fire officials had the fire under control in 15 minutes.
The apartment where the fire originated suffered heavy damage, and smoke and water damage was reported in other surrounding apartments. Sprinklers were not present in the building. The fire department is still estimating the extent of the damage.
The Boone County Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping the victims of the fire with temporary housing, clothing and food, the news release stated.
CFD recommended in the release to ensure that any matches and lighters are stored out of the reach of children to prevent accidents like this fire from happening.
The National Fire Protection Association reported children playing with fire caused 14,500 fires, resulting in an estimated 130 deaths, 810 injuries and $328 million in property damage in 2006.
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