Fire Chief pleads, 'don't leave children alone'

The Acting Fire Chief is warning parents and guardians against leaving their children unsupervised at home.
Joel Lewis said while the public does not often consider the possibility, children can easily cause fires using appliances, a stove, matches or by simply being absent minded. The Fire Chief was speaking to OBSERVER media this morning.

Lewis was speaking against the backdrop of the recent fire that left a teenage boy hospitalized. However, he said the investigation into what caused that fire is ongoing and no conclusions have been made. While not speaking directly about the recent fire in which the teen was harmed, the acting Fire Chief said children are explorers and are likely to cause fires without understanding what they are doing.
He also advises residents to ensure lamps, candles and mosquito coils are placed in safe places that are not likely to cause a fire.

The fire department reports that it is seeing a reduction in the number of fires so far for the year as compared to the same period last year.