OXNARD : Warning Issued on Fires Set by Children

Young children have set an alarming number of fires in Oxnard in the past six weeks, prompting Oxnard authorities to launch a publicity campaign warning parents and baby-sitters about the dangers of leaving children alone with matches.

Children ranging from 2 to 6 years old have set nine fires in Oxnard in the last six weeks, said Oxnard Fire Department Capt. Haywood Merricks. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my 16 years” as a firefighter, he said.

Children aged 6 and younger usually do not fully understand the dangers of fire, he said. The Fire Department has a Juvenile Firesetter Program that educates children about fire safety, but it is geared toward children 7 years and older, Merricks said.

The Fire Department has decided to contact media in the area and ask for help in warning people about the problem, Merricks said. “At this age, the focus isn’t on the kids, it’s the parents or the baby-sitter.”

About 300 children under age 5 die each year nationwide from fires set by juveniles, said John Hall, a statistician with the National Fire Protection Agency. Sometimes preschoolers themselves are the firesetters, or they may be innocent bystanders playing with another child, Hall said.

No one was hurt in any of the recent fires set by children in Oxnard. But in many cases the potential for serious injuries or fatalities was very high, Merricks said.

In the most recent incident, firefighters saved two 5-year-olds and a sleeping man from a burning townhouse Sunday morning.

Merricks said he questioned a 2-year-old Oxnard boy a few weeks ago about a blaze that the toddler had started. The fire caused about $30,000 damage to toddler’s house.

“I asked him what happened and he made a gesture like he was lighting a cigarette lighter,” Merricks said. “When I saw him make the motion it kind of floored me that someone that small could associate that motion with flipping a Bic. He can’t even pronounce words yet.”