December 30, 2008 - Afternoon Apartment Fire Caused by Child Playing with Cigarette Lighter

Fire at the Stoner Vista Apartments

The Shreveport Fire Department responded to the Stoner Vista Apartments at 541 East Stoner Avenue this afternoon at 4:30 PM. Upon arrival crews found one downstairs apartment with light smoke showing. Crews entered the apartment and extinguished a small fire in a bedroom closet bringing it under control within five minutes. The apartment was occupied at the time by one adult and three children. All occupants had evacuated the apartment building before fire crews arrived on scene. The lone apartment suffered minimal damage to a closet area and some clothes that were inside it. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries and no other property damage to the apartment building.

Fire investigators determined the fire was started by a four year old child playing with a cigarette lighter. The adult in the apartment stated “she smelled what seemed to be a candle burning and open the closet door to find the clothes on fire.” She quickly left the apartment with all her children and called 9-1-1.

Fires like these are preventable and the Shreveport Fire Department would like to take this opportunity to remind all citizens to keep all lighters and matches out of the reach of children and to remind your children of the danger of playing with these ignition sources.