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Child playing with lighter destroys Carpentersville home

A 4-year-old boy playing with a lighter in bed sparked a fire that destroyed a Carpentersville home late Thursday morning.

The boy was home with his aunt inside the single-story home on the 200 block of Riverview Drive when a mattress went up in flames about 11:45 a.m., but both escaped with minor injuries.

When firefighters arrived, half of the house was engulfed in flames. Both the boy and his aunt were standing across the street.

Fire officials said the blaze spread quickly through the house because the boy’s aunt attempted to pull the burning mattress outside.

“We found out that the occupants tried to drag the mattress out by dragging it through the house, which unfortunately started other fires throughout the house,” Carpentersville Fire Chief John Schuldt said.

Schuldt said the flames became too large for the woman to continue pulling it out of the home and she left it in the living room, which quickly caught fire.

“A mattress goes up pretty quickly,” Schuldt said.

The woman suffered minor burns on her arms while pulling the burning mattress, and both she and the young boy were complaining of smoke inhalation. Both victims were treated at the scene and released.

“The family was quite shaken,” Schuldt said.

The fire caused extensive fire damage throughout the entire home and damaged a car parked in the driveway.

Carpentersville firefighters were assisted by crews from the East Dundee Fire Protection District and the West Dundee and Rutland-Dundee fire departments.

It took crews about 15 minutes to bring the fire under control, but the home was considered a loss.

No firefighters were injured during the blaze.

Fire destroyed a home Thursday morning on the 200 block of Riverview Drive in Carpentersville. courtesy of Bill O’Neill/ElginetMedia
A woman and her 4-year-old nephew suffered minor injuries in a Thursday morning fire in Carpentersville. Courtesy of Bill O’Neill/ElginetMedia
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