Kids, Matches & Lighters

Are Your Children Playing with Fire? Children have a natural curiosity about fire. They want to know how fire looks and feels, what it can do, and how it will burn. Children, including toddlers cause thousands of home fires each year by playing with matches, lighters or candles. The average age of a person dying in this type of fire is 4 years old. Most fires caused by children playing with lighters, matches or candles tend to begin in bedrooms. The most common items ignited are the mattresses and bedding. Disturbingly, many young children tend to hide under beds or in a closet during house fires - especially fires they’ve started. Telling children  “don’t play with matches or lighters” is not enough.  Parents and care-givers that are fire smart can protect children from fire and burns.

  • Have a matches and lighter round-up. Ask your children to tell you where all the matches and lighters are located throughout your home.
  • Store lighters and matches out of sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet or drawer. This includes multi-purpose or barbecue style lighters.
  • Check under beds and in closets for burned matches or hidden lighters. Approximately half of the child fire starters had previously played with matches or a lighter.
  • Use a “ don’t touch” approach with children under five years of age.
  • Instruct them to show you any unattended matches or lighter. Reward them with praise when they do.Instruct older children to bring matches or lighters to you.
  • If a child expresses curiosity about fire or has been playing with fire, calmly but firmly explain that matches and lighters are tools, not toys.
  • Do not use lighters as a source of amusement for a child. Children may seek out the lighter and imitate you.
  • Older children should be taught how to use matches and lighters safely. A child's curiosity may be satisfied if he or she is entrusted to use matches in appropriate situations. Children should be asked to promise to use fire only in the presence of a parent.
  • Never leave a child unattended in a room with a lit candle. Don’t allow teens to have candles in their bedrooms.
  • Smokers should be conscious of children in the home and keep their smoking materials out of sight and reach of children.
  • Children must be supervised.  Most fires started by children occur when they do not have adult supervision.
  • Multi-purpose and cigarette lighters by federal standard must be child-resistant.  However child-resistant is not childproof. Children as young as two years old are capable of lighting cigarette and multi purpose lighters.
  • While curiosity about fire is common, some children light fires for other reasons.   A change or crisis such as moving to a new area, death or divorce, may trigger fire-setting behavior. This behavior can be a child’s way of acting out fear or anxiety.
  • If you suspect a child is playing with fire or is intentionally setting fires, you can get help by contacting the FDNY's Bureau of Fire Investigation's Juvenile Fire-setters Intervention Program at 718-722-3600. This program offers both education and referral services to youths who are involved in fire play.

 Bring your kids to our FDNY Fire Zone Learning Center in Rockefeller Center. They'll learn about the power and danger of fire and get real life escape training in our smoke house fire simulator.