Beaufort home destroyed after child found playing with lighter

Burton firefighters responded to a mobile home on Kennedy Circle around 9:30 a.m. and could see smoke from blocks away, according to a Burton Fire District news release.

The home was engulfed with "heavy volumes of fire" that also spread to neighboring residences, the release said.

Burton firefighters, assisted by the Beaufort Fire Department and the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Fire Department, were able to confine the fire to the mobile home, but a neighboring home and vehicle were damaged by the heat.

The flames were put out in 15 minutes of firefighters' arrival, the release said.

The fire began when a 5-year-old was playing with a lighter in the rear room of the residence.

A man in the home heard a noise and went to investigate. The fire "exploded" when he opened the room's door, the release said.

The man was able to escape unharmed with the 5-year-old and a 15-year-old teen living in the home. The family's name was not released.

The Burton Fire District reminds homeowners to keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children, to educate them on fire dangers and to check smoke detectors regularly.

The family did not have insurance, and the home was destroyed, the release said.

The American Red Cross has been notified to assist them.

Follow Caitlin Turner on Twitter at twitter.com/Cait_E_Turner.

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Beaufort home destroyed after child found playing with lighter."