A recent incident underscores the significant risks associated with lighters and young children. According to WMAR-2 News, a 4-year-old child's innocent play with a lighter ignited a fire within an apartment at Edgewood Park Apartments, leading to an estimated $25,000 in damages. This misfortune unfolded around 3:17 p.m. yesterday.
The State Fire Marshal's Office revealed that the child found themselves alone with a lighter in a bedroom, sparking a blaze treated by the occupant before the firefighters were called. According to information by Daily Voice, the occupant's efforts to extinguish the fire—having attempted to quell the inferno herself—preceded another resident's call to 911 for professional aid.
Responders from the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, along with the Aberdeen Proving Grounds FD/EMS, quickly contained and extinguished the small fire. Their timely intervention ensured that the damage did not spread beyond the unit initially affected. The incident resulted in no displacements or harm beyond the single apartment.
The State Fire Marshal reported that the owner, treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, chose not to seek hospital care. The same crew discovered the child playing with a lighter in the bedroom and noted no other soul was harmed in the event.
