Two fires started by children prompt safety warnings from Spokane Fire

SPOKANE, Wash. — Two fires started by children 11 or younger have occurred in Spokane over the last two days, prompting safety warnings from the fire department.

A 10-year-old boy was playing with a lighter inside his family’s home on Allen Place when he accidentally lit a mattress on fire. Firefighters kept the fire contained to just the mattress, but there was smoke damage inside the house.

The fire happened 24 hours after an 11-year-old boy died in a house fire he allegedly started on Rowan Avenue, less than a mile away.

Fire officials say parents should look for warning signs that their child might be playing with fire.

“Your kid might tell you, you also might see some burned tissues in a garbage can, in the toilet or maybe outside. You could see some different burned debris which might be indications that your child is doing something unsafe,” said Jamie McIntyre, community risk reduction manager for Spokane Fire.

McIntyre said parents should pay attention to how children interact with fire.

“Pay attention with how your youth interacts with fire. I think a general curiosity about fire is something that sometimes we can dismiss as part of growing up but you know what those risks are,” McIntyre said.

The fire department says the best way parents can prevent fires is keeping matches and anything that can start a fire in a safe place.

Officials also recommend maintaining smoke alarms properly and using the department’s youth fire-setter prevention program. The program offers one-on-one education for parents and kids about fire safety.

“We have social workers that are in our community risk reduction office. Our purpose is to help the family understand what risks are with unsafe fire behavior at a developmentally-appropriate level and then work with the families to make them a little bit safer,” McIntyre said.

The fire department encourages parents to contact them if they have concerns about their child being unsafe around fire. McIntyre says other local fire departments run similar programs to teach kids about fire safety.