INDIANAPOLIS -- Investigators say two young kids playing with matches are to blame for a fire that severely damaged a home on Indianapolis' northeast side Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the home in the 5500 block of Culver Street just before 3 p.m.
The 75-year-old homeowner told investigators that her 6-year-old and 15-month-old great-grandchildren were playing with matches in the bedroom when the fire started. She said the matches were left over from the Fourth of July and they did not realize they were where the children could get to them.
IInvestigators referred the children to the IFD Fire Stop – Juvenile Fire Setters program. The program is utilized as a stop gap measure to counsel young children who may show an unusual interest in fire or setting fires. The program offers incident and age specific education and a fire-risk assessment at no cost to families. The program is a joint effort between the IFD and IMPD Fire Investigations section and the IFD Fire and Life Safety Division.
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