A 5-year-old boy playing with matches accidentally started a fire behind an east-side home Thursday displacing a family of three, officials said.
"We are thankful that everyone is okay, and we want everyone to know that if your child has shown any curiosity towards fire, please call us and we can try to help before this type of scene happens," said Capt. Barrett Baker, a Tucson Fire Department spokesman, in a Facebook post Friday.
"Kids are curious and they can't forecast how things can turn badly so quickly. Parents please take a minute to look around and make sure your matches are secured and remind the little ones to never play with things that can start a fire," Baker said.
The fire destroyed the house, which was condemned, Baker said. He said he did not have a damage estimate. One firefighter was treated for exhaustion related to dehydration, and released from the hospital Thursday, Baker said.
At about 4 p.m. Thursday, multiple 911 calls reported a house fire in the 6700 block of East Stella Road.
The neighborhood is east of South Wilmot Road and south of East Golf Links Road. The callers were reporting flames and smoke coming from the roof and from the back of the house.
Firefighters pulled a hose line through the front door and were trying to work their way to the back of the house to put out the fire, said Baker. He said the residents were not in the house.
An electrical line hanging from a pole in the alley to the house caused a safety concern, and firefighters needed to avoid the backyard, Baker said. A Tucson Electric Power Co. crew was called in to shutdown power to the line.
Firefighters battling the blaze inside the home had little to no visibility and had to back out of the house temporarily because of the conditions.
A hole cut into the roof allowed smoke to escape from inside the home and improved visibility, allowing firefighters to enter the house and put out the remaining flames, said Baker.
He said 23 firefighters brought the fire under control in 37 minutes after arriving on scene.
The Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted the family — a woman in her 70s, and a man and woman in their 50s.
