Boy Sets Bed on Fire With Birthday Candles
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WESTMINSTER — A 7-year-old boy set his bunk bed on fire Tuesday while playing with matches and candles left over from a birthday party.
It took firefighters about five minutes to extinguish the blaze, which started about 10 a.m. in a two-story apartment in the 7500 block of Baylor Street, said Westminster Fire Capt. Craig Campbell.
Campbell said the boy and his brothers, ages 5 and 8, discovered the birthday candles and matches downstairs in the apartment, which is shared by two families.
“They went upstairs and he lit a bunch of candles on his lower bunk bed and lit the bed on fire,” Campbell said. “The 8-year-old who was on the top bunk managed to jump off. They tried to douse the flames but the fire got away from them.”
The boys and their baby-sitter were not injured.
The fire was restricted to the one bedroom but caused $13,000 worth of damage to the apartment, mostly in smoke damage.
Both families were given shelter Tuesday night by the American Red Cross.
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