SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- 4-year-old starts duplex fire that injures his mother
A simple case of "monkey see- monkey do"
The boy accidentally started the fire which spread to a mattress in a back bedroom of the duplex on Clay Avenue at South 29th Street about 7:20 p.m., said San Diego fire spokesman Maurice Luque. It was knocked down in about 10 minutes.
The boy's mother was burned and the fire spread when she tried to drag the mattress outside the home, Luque said. Two of her sons, ages 7 and 15, as well as her 12-year-old nephew, were home at the time and were able to escape without injury.
Luque said that the young boy was apparently watching his cousin starting toys on fire in the yard the day before and was trying to copy him, Luque said.
Damage was estimated at $200,000 to the building and $50,000 to its contents.
The 4-year-old and the 12-year-old will have to attend a mandatory junior fire-setting program, Luque said.
