What to Look For: Signs A Child is Misusing Fire

A child or teenager may be misusing fire if you find:

• Lighters, matches, or fireworks in a child's room, pockets, or belongings


• Lighters, matches, aerosol sprays, fireworks, or flammable liquids (accelerants) in your home come up missing and/or are found in a different location than where an adult last left them


• Discarded lighters or matches in the garbage or yard


• Smell of smoke or something burning without a known source


• Unexplained burn/scorch marks or melted areas in carpeting, floors, toys, clothing, papers, furniture, waste baskets, closets, outdoor areas, grass, etc.


• Smell of gasoline, kerosene, alcohol-based gels, or other accelerants on a youth's clothing or in an area they have been playing


• Unusual items (or remains of unusual items) in the child's room or in other areas of your home or yard such as: toilet bowl cleaner, aluminum foil, plastic pop/soda bottles, candle/hobby/craft wicks, gunpowder, CO2 cartridges, etc.


• Videos or pictures of fire misuse on the youth's cell phone, computer, or online social media and video accounts

Even if a youth has not misused fire, they may be at a higher risk for future misuse if they:

• Show an extreme fascination or interest in fire


• Have observed others misusing fire (including adults)


• Frequently view online videos, blogs, or websites that have a focus on or display unsafe fire use


• Frequently play video games that involve fire balls, molotov cocktails, explosives, flame throwers, and other dangerous uses of fire