9-Year-Old Boy Sets Mattress Fort on Fire

A 9-year-old boy constructing a fort with mattresses and candles in his family's garage in East Palo Alto sparked a two-alarm fire that destroyed the home Tuesday afternoon, a Menlo Park Fire District fire chief said.

The fire was reported in the 100 block of Jasmine Way in East Palo Alto at 2:30 p.m., Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

Firefighters arrived to a home on fire that had spread from the garage throughout the home, and pulled down a power line between the home and a neighbor's house. Initial reports had come in that the boy was still in the garage, but it was discovered the boy had run from the garage down the block knocking on doors and was in the care of a neighbor, Schapelhouman said.

Four people were inside the home when the fire began, including the boy, an infant, an older sister and his mother, the fire chief said. The 9-year-old had set up a play structure with a tent and a couple mattresses when he decided to get a candle, Schapelhouman said.

"That's where things started to deteriorate," he said.

The boy dropped the candle and the mattress ignited. His sister
opened the garage door at this point and it was filled with smoke. She screamed, which woke her mother who was sleeping upstairs with the infant, Schapelhouman said.

When the sister screamed, the boy ran down the block, unknown to the other members of his family, who believed he was in the garage that was now ablaze, Schapelhouman said.

The mother, believing her son was in the garage, attempted to enter the garage and suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, the fire chief said. She then called 911 before getting her infant child and evacuating the home. The sister also suffered smoke inhalation.

The fire then started to spread to a neighboring home where an
invalid resident needed assistance to leave the house. With the help of family members, everyone from the home was able to safely evacuate. The house sustained minor damage and was deemed safe to re-enter, Schapelhouman said.

The fire was under control by 3 p.m., however the house and its
contents were a total loss. Two cars parked in front of the garage were also destroyed in the blaze, the fire chief said.

No firefighters were injured and were leaving the scene around 5 p.m.

Schapelhouman emphasized fire education for young children. "The message here is kids with matches is just a problem," he said.

--Bay City News

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