Officials: 7-year-old playing with lighter started Clearwater house fire

CLEARWATER — A fire that destroyed a home over the weekend was started by a 7-year-old boy playing underneath the bed with a lighter, Clearwater fire investigators said.

The fire at 1143 Howard St. happened Saturday at 8:50 p.m. When firefighters arrived, the single-story home was engulfed in flames. It took about 15 minutes for firefighters to get the fire under control.

Ten people were living in the house: two adults and eight children, fire officials said. No one was injured.

The boy who started the fire will be referred to a fire-setter program, authorities said.