INDIANAPOLIS — Children playing with a lighter reportedly started a fire that left eight families without a home Monday.
Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the 3000 block of North Webster Avenue around 3:15 p.m. Monday. That location is just east of the intersection of East 30th Street and North Arlington Avenue.
Crews arrived on scene to find heavy smoke in the two-story building, with residents evacuating the apartment. An adult resident was rescued from the second floor by firefighters using a ground ladder. An animal was also rescued from the second floor.
The fire was marked under control in 20 minutes, but it had spread from a first-floor apartment into the second floor and the attic above the apartments.
Firefighters said five people were checked out for injuries and eight families were displaced from their homes in the apartment building.
Investigators say two children told them they were playing with a lighter and accidentally set their bed on fire. The children were able to evacuate the apartment.
The Red Cross is working with IFD Victims Assistance to find shelter for the families who were forced out by the fire.