THE danger of children playing with lighters and homemade incendiary devices has been rammed home by two separate incidents in Port Macquarie, both of which could have ended in tragedy.
In the first incident, a house on Rawdon Island was destroyed after a four-year-old was seen playing with a lighter. In the second, an area of grass was burnt in Crestwood after two 16-year-olds set off a home-made bomb and grass caught fire.
Mid North Coast police crime manager Detective Inspector Kim Fehon said all the young people concerned were exceptionally lucky they weren’t hurt and also that other people weren’t.
“We would also strongly recommend parents explain the danger of fire to older children, especially following the reports of children being responsible for several fires across the state in past weeks,” she said.
The Rawdon Island house fire started on Saturday about 3pm in a pile of clothing when the four-year-old was playing in his bedroom. Police were told the pre-schooler may have been playing with a cigarette lighter immediately before the fire broke out.
The child’s 36-year-old father evacuated his three children before calling Triple-zero and attempting to extinguish the blaze with a garden hose.
Despite his efforts, the three-bedroom single-brick home was destroyed, including the family’s possessions.
The two 16-year-olds started a fire by setting off a home-made bomb at Crestwood on a vacant lot at about 1pm on Sunday. The boys attempted to extinguish the resulting fire without success and the fire brigade and police were called.
An area about 100m by 20m was burnt before the blaze was brought under control.
The inspector said the two teenagers were scared and remorseful about what they had done and were dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.
