Child playing with lighter sparks fire, fire official says

TAMPA -- A child is being treated for minor burns after a bedroom caught fire as the boy played with a lighter, a Hillsborough Fire Rescue spokesman said.

Firefighters were alerted about the fire at 8417 N Manhattan Ave. about 9:45 p.m. Flames were showing by the time rescuers arrived, but all of the residents had escaped on their own.

One child had minor burns, and another who had been sleeping in the same room suffered some smoke inhalation, which paramedics were addressing at the scene as the family refused transport to a local hospital.

The home suffered significant damage, Capt. Bruce Delk said, and is uninhabitable. The family plans to stay with relatives, he said.

- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer