March 13, 2002 * 02-20-01

(KINGSTON, Kitsap County) -- A nine year-old boy, his seven year-old sister and their mother were alerted by smoke alarms early Tuesday morning after a blanket laying over a decorative light in the boy's room sparked a fire.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue (NKF&R) crews were called to the South Kingston Road residence just before 6:00am. Firefighters arrived quickly from the district's new South Kingston Road fire station, found the burnt items outside in the yard and determined that the fire had already been completely extinguished. The home's occupants told firefighters what had happened. The boy was sound asleep in his bed until the smoke alarm inside his room activated. He awoke to find a portion of his blankets and the mattress in flames. The boy unplugged the decorative light and, using a glass of water beside his bed, dampened the flames. His mother removed the singed items to a nearby bathtub where she applied additional water. She then summoned fire crews with a call to 911.

The decorative light, the mattress and the bedding were destroyed along with a nearby CD player and alarm clock. The family is ensured, and was not displaced from their home.

Firefighters believe that the fire began when one of the boy's blankets landed atop the light during the night, preventing the device from getting sufficient cooling. As heat built under the blanket, fire broke out.