BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN -- Nine people are homeless, two firefighters sustained minor injuries and several others suffered heat exhaustion as a result of a blaze allegedly caused by a child playing with a cigarette lighter.
"We want to tell all the kids not to play with fire and tell all the parents to keep matches and lighters where their kids can't reach them," said Middletown Fire Capt. Richard Rainey.
A 6-year-old girl reportedly told an adult that she had been playing with a cigarette lighter near the mattress, Capt. Rainey said. The girl probably will be sent to a juvenile fire-starters program, which counsels children to prevent them from setting more fires.
The fire, reported around 1:10 p.m. Monday, destroyed a two-story, wood-frame home at 1104 Baltimore St. Damage was estimated at $50,000.
A neighbor spotted the fire and called firefighters, who spent three hours extinguishing it.
The fire spread quickly and was difficult to put out because the flames spread along asphalt shingles that had been covered with aluminum siding, Capt. Rainey said.
Several firefighters suffered heat exhaustion; two others were hurt, but not seriously. One slipped and fell on debris in the yard; the other suffered a burn on his hand. Neither firefighter required medical treatment.
Resident Mary Swann and two children, including the alleged fire-setter, escaped uninjured; six other residents weren't home at the time.
"Everything they own went up into ashes," Capt. Rainey said. The American Red Cross is providing emergency assistance to the displaced residents.
