Toddler lights bed on fire in Huntingburg

Huntingburg — A toddler narrowly avoided serious injury after setting fire to a bed in a Huntingburg home Sunday afternoon,

Huntingburg Volunteer Firefighters were dispatched to the 200 block of Arjem Street Sunday night at about 11:15 p.m. on the
report the fire.

Arriving firefighters were able to extinguish the smoldering fire  but the house was filled with smoke, according to Assistant Fire Chief Glen Kissling.

According to authorities , the fire was started by a 3 year old with a lighter. Once members of the Dennis Bernardi family realized the fire had started in the bedroom, they closed the door to the room and left the house.

Closing the door helped to starve the fire of oxygen and it was nearly burned out when firefighters arrived.

Kissling explained that the family was fortunate the fire was not worse and warned the public to keep smoking materials and related matches and lighters out of the reach of children.

Three trucks and 18 firefighters were on scene for about 45 minutes. Huntingburg Police Department and Memorial EMS personnel also assisted.

This story compiled with the assistance of WITZ AM/FM News.