COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Columbus firefighters say a child playing with fire caused the fire that critically injured his grandpa.
It happened around 4am Monday in the 1000 block of South James Road.
When firefighters arrived, a child’s bedroom was on fire. In an upstairs bathroom, they found Carlton Crowder, 52, unresponsive. He is now at OSU Main Hospital in critical condition.
Neighbor Martina Lofton says the whole ordeal was scary. “I wasn’t expecting to wake up to that.”
Crowder has custody of his 5 and 6-year-old grandchildren. Firefighters say the 6-year-old admitted to lighting paper on fire at the foot of the bunk beds.
“They were pretty shaken. The babies were pretty scared,” said Lofton.
Firefighters reported the fire was contained around 4:15am.
“It’s better to have help and intervention than the outcome of death,” says Columbus Firefighter Rickey Scott.
Scott runs CFD’s Juvenile Fire Setters Program. He says already this year 19 children have been in his class.
“Help them make better choices,” he says.
It’s a free program taylor made for each child. Children can be referred through the courts or schools or parents who are worried can bring their kids.
“If we can get in at an early age and we can change the behavior that’s one less person that has to go through the process of being prosecuted,” says Scott.
Scott says there are signs parents can look for:
- Unusual fascination with fire
- Collects of lighters and matches
- Always wanting to light candles or the fire place
If you’d like more information on the Juvenile Fire Setters program call (614) 724-0936 or visit https://www.columbus.gov/templates/detail.aspx?id=65979
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