Make wishtv.com your home page

Kids played with matches, started fire that caused $50K damages, IFD says

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two children playing with matches started a fire that caused $50,000 in damages, authorities say.

Crews from Indianapolis Fire Department responded to a working residence fire around 2:46 p.m. Saturday in the 5500 block of Culver Street — that’s near East 42nd Street and North Arlington Avenue.

They arrived to find heavy fire and smoke showing and began what IFD calls an aggressive offensive attack, and had the fire under control by 3:07 p.m.

Authorities with IFD say three people were inside: a 75-year-old, a 6-year-old and a 15-month old.

The home had no working fire alarms, IFD says. It’s believed that the two children playing with matches in a bedroom caused the fire in their great-grandmother’s home. IFD says the woman told them she was in the living room when the older child came in and said the bedroom was on fire, leading the woman to grab the children and leave the house.

According to IFD, this is the second fire in two days caused by children left unattended and where the home involved had no working smoke alarms.

The children involved have been referred to the IFD Fire Stop – Juvenile Fire Setters program, a program IFD says is provided at no cost to families and which offers age-appropriate information to children who show an unusual interest in fire or setting fires.

Never miss another Facebook post from WISH-TV