Local News in Brief : Stanton : Fire Started by Child Leaves Family Homeless

A fire started by a 5-year-old boy playing with a cigarette lighter in his sister’s bedroom caused $50,000 damage to a home and temporarily displaced his family, according to county fire officials.

The three adults and three children escaped before fire engines and paramedics responded to the 11:41 a.m. Thursday fire in the 7600 block of Santa Catalina Ave. A crew of 20 firefighters put out the blaze in 20 minutes, officials said.

“This is the third fire in 3 weeks caused by a juvenile between the ages of 3 and 5 playing with a lighter,” said Patti Range, a Fire Department spokeswoman.

Range said Thursday’s fire was confined to a bedroom.

Last month, an 11-year-old Stanton girl was killed and another child and an adult were injured in a fire caused by a youngster playing with a lighter, Range said. In another incident, a fire was started when a 4-year-old girl set her bed on fire, she said.