Child playing with lighter causes minor house fire in Germantown

An 11-year-old girl playing with a lighter is the suspected cause of an early morning house fire in Germantown Friday.   Fortunately, the fire was minor.

According to a news release from the Germantown Fire Department, the child was playing with the lighter in a utility room and set some cloths on fire.   The Germantown Fire and Police Departments responded to the 1:15 AM call at the single family home at White Pine Court and Wooded Hill Drive.  When they arrived on scene white smoke was seen coming from the utility room.  A Germantown Police officer used a fire extinguisher to knock down the fire and firefighters were able to extinguish the flames.  The fire was contained to the utility room, but there was smoke throughout the two-story home which was removed with ventilation fans. 

Damage is estimated at $1,000 and no one was injured in the fire.