Boys playing with lighter started house fire that injured 2

YOUNGSTOWN — A fire at 2486 McCartney Road a week ago that seriously injured a woman and her granddaughter was caused by boys playing with a lighter that ignited their toy box.

Lt. Kevin Johnson said today that the boys, 5 and 11, tried to put the fire out by bringing water from the sink. The boys and the family dog made it out safely but the fire spread from the boys’ front bedroom to the hallway, trapping Marleen Felder, 54, and Daresha Brown, 12, in their bedrooms. Both remain hospitalized.

The situation was made worse by no smoke detectors in the house and a delay in calling the fire department, Johnson said. The first call to 911 came from a next-door neighbor, he said.