FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Fire crews have put out a Fort Lauderdale house fire that, they said, was accidentally started by two children.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to the scene along the 1200 block of Northwest 11th Place to find heavy smoke coming from the house, Monday afternoon.
Officials said the blaze sparked while a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old were playing with a lighter in a back room.
“They accidentally lit a piece of paper on fire that then dropped onto a teddy bear, which then ignited the rest of the room on fire,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan.
The children and an older man inside the single-story home were able to get out safely. Paramedics treated them for smoke inhalation at the scene.
No one was taken to the hospital.
Pictures of the aftermath show most of the family’s belongings charred, but officials said this could have had a far worse outcome.
“This particular fire provided a lot of challenges to us because the hurricane shutters were all still closed,” said Gollan, “so, if this fire would have been in the middle of the night, it possibly could have been tragic.”
The children who, officials said, started the fire, will likely have to participate in Broward County’s Juvenile Firesetter Prevention and Intervention Program, where they will learn more about fire safety.
The fire remains under investigation.
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