A child playing with a miniature propane torch accidentally started a fire that significantly damaged a duplex in South Hill on Tuesday, according to Central Pierce Fire & Rescue.
The mother was home alone with her two sons, ages 4 and 6, when her eldest came running out of a back bedroom about 12:30 p.m. and yelled that there was a fire, officials said.
“The bedroom was going pretty good so she got the kids out of the house before crews arrived,” Assistant Fire Chief Randy Stephens said.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze in the 11300 block of 76th Avenue Court East, but the family’s unit was severely damaged. The second unit suffered smoke damage.
The 6-year-old boy told fire investigators his little brother was playing with the torch in a closet, Stephens said.
stacia.glenn@thenewstribune.com
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