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~This page is dedicated to to all the little
children, that they might live. It is about true
cases where death and suffering resulted from children playing
with matches.
WARNING! If you do not like to read about what happens as the
results of fire,
PLEASE DO NOT
READ ON. ~The book by this title was written by me many
years ago, several publishers turned the book down, saying the
American people do not read anymore, they watch television, well
today they are on the WWW and the message must get out,This page
copyrighted 1997© by Lloyd Peterson, Not to be copied, reprinted,
reproduced, etc. without permission. No part of this site or any
material within this site may be used without the expressed
written permission from the author.~
~The Picture is not pretty but the stories are true. The second
part of this page, CHILDREN AND MATCHES, will teach you about
what to do about the problem of children playing with
matches.~
~TOO YOUNG TO BURN~
~"I LEFT THEM ALONE BEFORE"~
~It was about 11:00 A.M. when the excited voice
yelled out over
the fire phone into the dispatchers ear. "The house
is on fire,
the house is on fire." The dispatcher calmed her down
and she
gave him the address. It was in the Housing Project
in Southwest
Seattle, where the living units are close
together.~
~As the fire trucks arrived near the scene thick
black smoke
could be seen rising into the sky, no flames could be
seen. A
hole was cut into the roof to release the trapped
smoke, heat and toxic fire gasses and we entered the
house. The fire was confined to the rear bedroom with
flames licking across the hallway into the master
bedroom and into the livingroom, as the fire was
being extinguished, one of the firefighters called
out, "I've found two victims."~
~I went into the master bedroom where the call had
came from and seen two tiny children crouched on the
floor in the corner. The boy age 3 was dead, his
sister age 2 was still alive, she was given oxygen
and rushed to the hospital in the aid-car where she
died one hour later of smoke inhalation. They had not
been touched by the fire in their bedroom."~
~A search was made thruout the unit for other
victims, none were found. A neighbor said the
children,s father was away in the navy and the
mother worked in downtown Seattle as a waitress, and
that she often left the children unattended. This
would be the last time.~
~The fire had started in the children's bedroom on
the lower bunkbed, where it spread it's deadly gases
and flames to the drapes and a plastic hobbyhorse.
Several burnt matchbooks and matches were found on
the floor and bed. The children had been playing with
matches. They had ran into their mothers bedroom for
safety and comfort when the fire started but she was
not there and they died. Fire had claimed two more
tiny victims."~
~The neighbors who had heard the children's screams
from nextdoor tried to enter the unit to rescue them
but were driven back by the heat and smoke. One
said,"I tried to get inside and find them, but I just
couldn't breath ." The fire damage was less than
$1,000, and can be repaired or replaced, but what
about the lives?~
~The mother arrived home about four hours later and I
had to tell her of her loss. She stated to me, "I
left them alone before."
She was charged with two counts of manslaughter in
connection with the deaths of her children and
recieved six months probation. She will live with it the
rest of her life. We will see the tiny children over
and over again in our dreams and flashbacks at other
fire scenes.~
~"I ONLY LEFT THEM ALONE FOR A FEW MINUTES"~
~As the dispatcher put the phone to his ear, he heard
the voice yell out, "there dead, there all dead." It
was Mrs. J. she had gone to the store "for a few
minutes" and came back to find the house full of
smoke. She crawled on her hands and knees thru the
house to the children's bedroom where she found their
lifeless bodies.~
All three were dead, a girl 3 and two boys 4 and 6
years old. The girl was in the bed, the blankets still clutched
in her tiny hands, pulled over her head so she could not see the
fire and smoke, the 4 year old sitting in the corner with his
small hands over his eyes and the 6 year old was on his hands
and
knees inside the closet, also with his hands over his eyes. If
you can't see it, it won't hurt you.?~
~The typical burnt matches and matchbook were on the floor near
the melted plastic wastebasket, the fallen burnt drapes and
curtains laying across the plastic basket of cloths which were
smoldering, and the children, the beautiful children who had
tried to hide from the fire and smoke. "Oh my God, Why?"~
~PLAYING, OR PLAYING WITH MATCHES?~
~The young female voice was screaming over the fire phone, "the
house is on fire and I can't get the children", then the phone
was hung up, no address! A few minutes late it rang again, it
was
a neighbor reporting flames in the house nextdoor now we knew
where to
go.~
~As we arrived, the flames were reaching for the sky thru the
side window heavy smoke was comming out the open front door. A
girl 14 years old ran up to me as I got out of the fire truck,
screaming, "the children are in there, the children are in
there,
please save them, I'll get in trouble." She was and they
were...~
~She was the babysitter, the children had been in in their
bedroom playing with the door closed for a long time as she
talked to her boyfriend on the phone. She had heard screaming
comming from behind the closed bedroom door for some time and
went to check when it did not stop, she opened the door and was
met by a wall of flames, smoke and screams. She could not reach
or see the children.~
~The children, ages 18 months, 3, 4, 6, and 7 all died a
horrible
painfull death of burns. Thy were huddled in the corner, except
the baby who was on the burning bed. They had been playing ,
playing with matches that is, as all childen will do, and trying
to hide from it so they would not get punished or see it. You
all
know the saying, "What you can't see won't hurt you"?~
~The coronor took the children away, an a amblance took the
histerical babysitter away. It will take a very long time for
her
to forget, if ever. It will happen again, and we will see it
again and again and again.~
~"I WAS JUST ACROSS THE STREET"~
~I had just arrived home with my family from a movie and heard
my
direct phone from the dispatch center ringing as I opened the
front door. It was 10:30 P.M. and I was requested to investigate
a
triple fatality house fire. Can't fire take a day off, will it
ever end ?~
~It was a small house at the end of a dead-end street, the fire
had been extinguished but I could still smell the sickning , eye
watering mattress smoke. It was laying on the front lawn, a hole
about 12" in diameter was burnt into it. The Battalion Chief
handed me several books of matches he had found near the bed.
The
mother had been transported to the hospital in shock.~
~The three children lay huddled in the bedroom closet, a baby
age
6 months of age in the arms of the 5 year girl, the 7 year old
boy still had a book of matches clutched in his hand (the death
grip). Their pajama's were un-burnt, the smoldering fire had not
touched them. The silent killer, Carbon Monoxide had taken their
young lives.~
BR>
~The next day the doctors at the hospital allowed me to
interview
the mother who was sadated. She stated she had caught her 7 year
old son playing with matches before and had spanked him, she
thought he had learned his lesson. She said the children were in
bed when she left the house, "I was just across the
street"~
~"HE DID NOT LEARN"~
~The five year old boy had awaken his parents in their upstairs
bedroom, he was crying and saying, "the house is on fire." They
could see the smoke comming up the stairs across the ceiling and
into their bedroom. They all managed to get down the stairs and
outside. the father got the garden hose and attempted to
extinguish the growing blaze. No one called the fire department
only one block away. Soon the heat, smoke and flames drove the
father from the house, he ran to the neighbors home to report
the
fire.~
~When the fire engines arrived after the long delayed call the
house was totaly involved, with flames comming from the doors
and
windows. Hostilities were encountered by yelling neighbors of
the
victims who thought the call did not recieve prompt action from
the fire department. They did not know they had been called
late,
they all thought someone else had called as so often happens in
reporting fires,accidents and crimes.~
~The fire had started in the boys bedroom, by him playing with
matches, He had "spit" on it to put it out, then thrown his
cloths and blankets on it but it would not go out. He ran back
and forth to the bathroom, throwing glass after glass of water
on
the fire, it got bigger and bigger and started going across the
ceiling over his head, so he ran upstairs to tell his parents.
He
did not hide as in most fires involving children who think they
can hide from fire.~
~Interviewing the boy, I noted he had large festering blisters
on
both hands, the blisters between his tiny fingers were so large
he could not bring his fingers together. the burns were not from
this fire. I asked him how he recieved the burns and he said,
"YESTERDAY I was playing with matches in my bedroom and daddy
caught me and put my hands over the fire on the kitchen stove so
I would not do it again."~
~The father and mother said the boy has been a problem, "he is
always playing with matches or starting small fires in the
house,
we spank him each time, but he does not seem to learn." I asked
them, What will you do this time, cut off the boy's hands?." The
father just scrugged his sholders, the mother cried and said,
"we
have lost everything." Not this time lady, not this time..~
~"I ONLY LIT ONE LITTLE MATCH."~
~The family was renting the small house in Southwest Seattle,
they were behind on their rent as the father had lost his job,
his unemployment had ran out and they were now living on
Welfare.
Things were bad but they were about to get worse.~
~The father got up early to go look for a job, when he left his
wife and two children were still in bed sleeping as they had
been
up late trying to figure out how they were going to eat as their
food stamps and money were all gone. But the children were not
asleep long.~
~The two boys, ages four and five had gotten out of bed and
found
some matches on the livingroom coffee table, they went back into
their bedroom and sat upon their bed. The five year old later
told me, "I only lit one little match." He held the match untill
it got too hot for his little fingers and he dropped it on the
bed and his coloring book which ignited. Their untrained minds
could not tell them what to do. They watched the fire get bigger
and bigger, then ran out and told their mother, who upon waking
said the flames and smoke were racing across the ceiling. They
got
out the bedroom window and ran next door to call the fire
department, no one was home so they ran to the next house to
call.~
~The house and it's contents were a total loss. But the lives
were saved this time. The fire fighters wives were soon on the
phone to the Red Cross and collecting food, clothing, and
shelter
for the family. It only took one little match.~
~"ISN'T THREE YEARS OLD TOO YOUNG"~
~The young mother woke up , the smoke was swirling across the
bedroom ceiling, she was coughing and could not speak, but in
her
mind all she could think about was her children. She shook her
husband awake and he jumped out of bed into the heated smoke and
gases around his head and dropped to his knees and they crawled
into the children's bedroom. The two boys, one and three years
old were sitting on the floor against the wall crying, the older
boys bed was on fire, a book of matches lay next to the
bed.~
~They each picked up a boy and crawled to the front door, there
were no flames to be seen but the house was full of heat and
smoke. As they opened the front door, the house seemed to
explode
in flames which leaped over their heads and out the door
opening.
They had escaped unharmed but all their possessions were lost in
the flames.~
~Children will continue to play with matches and die as a
result.
Fire Departments are teaching your school age children of the
danger. I will tell you some danger signs and how to deal with
the problem.~
~Do you believe only "bad boys" play with matches and lighters?
Well let me tell you that you are wrong. Haven't you seen your
small child or other children smoking a cigarette ? They see
adults lighting matches and cigarettes everyday, yet they are
told they can not do it. Have you taken the time to sit down
with
them and explained or shown them the danger of such activities
for a small child.~
~PUNISHMENT WILL NOT HELP~
Your small child will not tell you if he has started a fire
playing with matches because he is afraid he will get a spanking
and he thinks he can hide from it. Take the advantage of
discussing a fire in the news on TV or in the paper.~
~If you find your child playing with matches, do not burn his
fingers or spank him as this will not stop his natural
inclination to experiment, he will only do it more, in places
where he will not get caught and punished, such as behind a
closed bedroom door, in a closet, under the house in the
basement
the garage or outside on the dry grass.~
~Go to the store and purchase a whole box of matches books or
wooden matches. Sit down with the child in a safe place and let
him light the matches, all of them not just a few. When he say's
"Mommy/Daddy, I'm tired" or "I don't want to light anymore
matches", just keep letting him light the matches. Do this for
several days and he will never want to see a match again, let
alone light one. But do not stop there, point out to him the
danger of playing with matches or fire, teach them they can not
hide from the deadly gases and the flames. Remember they are too
young to burn.~
~Once after giving a fire prevention talk to a group of parents,
a lady came up to me and said, "but my son is 10 years old and
keeps playing with matches and starting fires.", I told her let
me tell you about your son, he still wets his bed, he has few
friends, he does poorly in school, he is always "sick" and wants
to stay home from school, there has been a divorce or separation
with no father in the home or a "new" father has taken his
place,
and he was a premature birth. She said, "all of those things are
true, how did you know" ? This is a problem child in regards to
playing with matches and fire and will continue untill
phychiatric help and therapy are sought, he is sick and seeking
attention, the problem will not go away by itself. Seek and you
shall find...~
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