Salamanders Young Burn Survivors > Be Aware! Be Safe! > Playing with Fire

Fire

People have been using fire for over a million years. Most people in the world still use fire for heat and cooking.

With its changing shapes and colours, fire is fascinating to watch. It seems almost like a living thing, and because of this it became a symbol of life and hope.

Before every Olympic Games, a burning torch is carried from the last place the Games were held to where the new Games will be, and the torch is kept burning until the Games are over.

Fires and candles are a part of many religious ceremonies, and of celebrations like birthdays and Halloween. Lots of people celebrate special occasions with fireworks as well.

Children and Fire

It is quite normal for children to be curious about fire. They want to know how fire looks and feels, what it can do, and how it works. Because of this, children light small fires or play with matches and lighters. They may also try to copy adults by lighting candles, cigarettes and fireplaces. Older children may start fires because it's exciting to do something they know can be dangerous. Some children start fires because other children have 'dared' them to, or as a 'cry for help' when they feel unable to cope with something that has happened to them. At least half of all school-age boys experiment or play with fire at least once. The terrible danger is that, once started, these fires can very quickly get out of control, causing vast amounts of damage to property, and badly injuring or even killing people!

Children who are old enough to understand the idea of cause and effect can learn that fire is dangerous and that it can injure not only themselves, but also their family and their home. With the help of an adult, children can learn to use matches and fire safely, and that a match is a "tool", not a toy, and like other tools, it should be used only in the right way. Children can also help to teach younger sisters and brothers about fire, and join in with planning fire safety around the home.

Children start almost half of all fires deliberately set in the USA. The FBI reports that 56% of arrests for arson (deliberately setting fire to someone else's property) involve children, and that arson is the crime most often committed by juveniles.

A fire started by a curious child can have the same disastrous results as one started by an arsonist.
Children playing with fire account for more than one-third of preschool child deaths by fire.
90% of those who die in fires started by children are children.

Many fires started by curious children are in or near the home - in a closet, a bedroom, or the back yard.
One of every 13 building-fire deaths in the USA is caused by a child setting a fire.
1/3 of the children who die in home fires actually start the fire that kills them.

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