A 4-year-old playing with a lighter sparked a fire in an Eastside duplex Thursday that displaced two families.
Firefighters were called to the home in the 3100 block of East Washington Street at 1:53 p.m., Indianapolis Fire Department Capt. Rita Reith said.
They arrived and found smoke and flames pouring from the second floor of the two-story home, Reith said. Firefighters using 13 trucks and engines brought the blaze under control in about 15 minutes.
Five children, ages 1 to 4, and their grandmother escaped from the home before firefighters arrived.
Alta Montgomery, 53, told fire investigators that the smoke alarms went off after one of the children’s mattresses caught fire. She quickly got her grandchildren outside, Reith said.
The fire was started by a 4-year-old who was playing with a lighter, Reith said.
The parents and two 5-year-old siblings were not home at the time of the fire. The family in the other half of the duplex also was not home.
The department’s victim assistance service assisted the victims in finding shelter, Reith said.
Damage was estimated at $50,000.
