Four-year-old Sets House On Fire

A Chattanooga family is homeless following a fire Sunday night that was apparently started by a 4-year-old boy.

The fire broke out around 9:45 p.m. at 3006 4th Avenue. Crystal Brown was asleep on a couch in the front living room when she woke to discover that her couch was on fire. The woman gathered her two children, the 4-year-old and an 11-month-old, and got out of the house. The other adult in the house, Corey Miree, tried to douse the flames with a pan of water. When that failed, he also left and called 911.

Chattanooga firefighters arrived moments later and discovered the front section of the house engulfed in flames. Captain David Barie said it took the firefighters about ten minutes to get the blaze under control. No injuries were reported. The fire damage was contained to the front of the house, but there was smoke and water damage to the rest of the structure. The dollar loss was estimated at around $20,000.

The 4-year-old boy admitted that he lit a piece of paper on fire with a cigarette lighter and when it got hot, he dropped it at the foot of the couch and ran into another room. Fortunately, his mother woke up and all got out safely. Lt. Moore said no charges will be filed against the boy. Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to assist the family. They were renting the house, but did not have renter's insurance.