Child may have sparked D.C. fire

A house in Southeast Washington was heavily damaged Monday evening by a fire that was apparently touched off by a child playing with a cigarette lighter, a D.C. fire department spokesman said.

The fire broke out around 7 p.m. in the 5800 block of Southern Avenue SE, and caused “pretty significant” damage, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the D.C. fire and emergency medical services department.

One firefighter suffered minor facial burns in extinguishing the fire, he said.
Piringer said investigators believe a child accidentally ignited a belt, which set a bed on fire. That caused the entire room to catch fire, he said.

-- Martin Weil