Monroe apartment fire caused by children with lighter

Published 10:30 pm Saturday, April 3, 2010

MONROE – Children playing with a lighter this evening started a fire at an apartment complex.

Firefighters rushed to the apartment building in the 600 block of Terrace Street shortly after 6 p.m., spokeswoman Debbie Willis said. The garage beneath the building was engulfed in flames.

Three people who were inside the above unit when the fire started were alerted by a neighbor and went outside. The rest of the 10-unit building was evacuated as well.

Two boys, ages 5 and 7, living at the complex told investigators they had been playing with a lighter in the garage, Willis said.

Nobody was hurt. The family from the unit above the garage was displaced. Red Cross volunteers were called to help.

Fire investigators estimated the damage at about $150,000 Willis said.

She urged parents to teach children not to play with lighters or matches and to keep lighters and matches locked away.