4-Year-Old Playing With Lighter Starts House Fire

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A 4-year-old playing with a lighter caused a fire that heavily damaged a house in Troy Hill.

He told KDKA-TV the boy had the lighter in the second-floor bedroom of the Sundeman Street. He set fire to some paper and put it in a trash can. Flames spread through second floor to the roof.

The boy's father, Tom Carlin, tried to use a garden hose to put out the flames.

"He was supposedly up in his room watching 'Spongebob' or whatever, and the next thing we know, he comes running down the stairs and there you go," he said.

"The whole upstairs looks like a piece of burnt toast," he added.

The roof now has hole in it.

Pittsburgh Arson Detective Mike Burns says the boy can't be charged with a crime but will be enrolled in a fire-starters program. The boy was remorseful and started crying when he saw the damage.

"It's just a 4-year-old that didn't know better and an accident happened and it is what it is," Carlin told KDKA-TV.

The boy's mother and two firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

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