Six Year Old Playing with Lighter Starts House Fire
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 24, 2014)
A six year old boy set fire to a pile of clothes Monday morning in the bedroom of his Royal Oak Township home on Glenlodge Street.  The fire began at approximately 7 A.M., said Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan, whose department contracts to provide fire and rescue service to Royal Oak Township.
“The child had been playing with a lighter in his bedroom,” Sullivan said.  “There were six people sleeping in the house and they woke up because of the smoke detector.  That smoke detector saved their lives.”
Sullivan said the child went to his grandmother after the fire started, and she helped him escape the house. Fortunately Ferndale Fire responded quickly and the fire damage was limited to the child’s bedroom. “That poor smoke detector paid the ultimate sacrifice, it was melted and destroyed in the fire. But it did its job, and it was worth the money they paid for it.”
The fire was contained to the bedroom, leaving burn marks on the wall and some smoke damage.