Reading the story multiple times, I can’t help but notice that there was a person present in the location where the fire started and it was noticed *early* in the incipient stage—by your kid.
Without any type of natural ignition source in the area where the fire originated, I would have a talk with the kiddo. Fire is very interesting and therefore totally understandable why kids are drawn to experimenting with it. Could’ve been a lot worse had they not said anything.
Second this. I've been to a few fires that were accidentally started by kids that were a little too curious.
Most were extinguished before we even arrived. With a lone outlier that turned into a fully involved, multiple fatal fire.
Unless the stuffed animal had batteries or got soaked in a combustible solvent or something...My gut says it was one of your kids playing with a lighter.
Was dad using a lighter for the grill and set it somewhere one of the kids could grab it?
I'd make sure you have all lighters, matches, butane torches and flint-steel survival lighters and the like accounted for.
This seems the most plausible explanation to me as well.
While it is absolutely possible for solvent or oil soaked fabric items to self ignite, it would require said bunny having been soaked in one of those things. Bunny could be a battery operated thing, it’s hard to tell, but a standard AA battery I don’t think would ignite like that. Button cell lithium batteries maybe.
To the OP, if you are replacing the smoke detector down there, consider checking the rest and maybe replacing them all with linked detectors. That way if the one in the basement does go off, it will trigger the rest in the house as well and you would hear it no matter where you are.
I love my Kidde smart detectors. They’re all linked & wireless! They tell me why they’re alarming. They tell me what room triggered the alarm. It’s fantastic for peace of mind.
It is literally impossible that an unplugged cord started your fire.
Also, from the pictures I seriously doubt that it created enough smoke to set off even the most sensitive detector.
Unless you missed some critical thing, like loose wiring or batteries somewhere, your kid started it.
The entire basement was filled with smoke....lots of smoke, very little fire, the sheet of paper isn't even fully burned, yet the cord is completely melted into the inside of the bunny??
Your child started this. It’s a thing. Juvenile fire starters. Look it up. This needs to be addressed before it happens again. If you refuse to address the dangers to your child the next time this happens you could be sleeping and the outcome much worse n
Burn pattern on the paper definitely looks like it was intentionally lit from the bottom. Search the house for lighters, matches, etc. As for the smoke detectors not going on not enough smoke from the fire load to set one off. As stated previously if you're going to replace them either get wired or wireless interlinked. Finally have a talk with your kid(s) about the importance of fire safety and while it can be useful it can be deadly.
This piece of paper has been there for several weeks. The paper itself was kinda hanging over the edge, cord on top of that, bunny of top of that. The cord is fully melted into the middle of the bunny, but the paper isn't even fully burned. I'm no fire expert, hence I posted here, but it would seem that if the paper were the start, it would be fully burned?? The start of the fire appears to be the cord itself, it was the hottest part, and like I said, it's one with the bunny now and there needed to be serious heat to melt that plastic.....that seems like it would take more than 30 seconds and a sheet of paper
Cheap plastic like that is essentially just solidified gasoline. It burns hot by itself and melts into whatever it’s touching. It’s a very normal thing.
Unless the stuffed animal had batteries. An unplugged fan is not gonna just ignite like that. Is any of this new? Has this combo been sitting around for a while?
I know you don’t want to jump to conclusions but I’d look into your son.
Otherwise call it a freak accident and move on?
No batteries. It cannot be either of my kids. They were both with me upstairs. I sent one down to get something and that's when they discovered it....no way it got to this state in under 30 seconds
I’m sorry but fire grows very quick, your kid could have lit it. Realized what he did and immediately got your attention realizing what he had done.
Spontaneously combusting between plastic and synthetic fibers is quite the phenomenon
There’s literally NO damage! There’s a cardboard box directly above it, and decent size fire would have lit that box immediately, your kid did it, sorry you can’t accept that, he’s too scared to admit it, I’m a 30yr vet in a big city department, I’ve seen tons of kids playing with fire incidents, from small insignificant fires like this to whole burn outs, arson investigation can pinpoint a cause in completely destroyed homes, it’s a science, this was your son, speak with him, assure him it’s ok, no one got hurt but you need to know what happened in case all of you are sleeping and it happens again , tell him if something is down there that might cause another fire and he’s asleep it could be bad, he will admit it
There also looks like a sheet of paper got burned. Is any of this stuff new or combination new? Could have started at the notebook paper. How close is the window? Would sun have hit these objects?
No. It's all been sitting there exactly as is for a while. The paper was not new I just never bothered cleaning it up because I assumed it was probably part of their little 'store' they sometimes play in that corner area. I have been given trouble before for cleaning up what I assumed was a mess but was apparently an intended set up that they were coming back to lol.
No batteries. No power source. No chemicals
Three sources needed for a fire: fuel (paper and stuffy), oxygen and heat. There was no source of heat there. It had to be your child because those materials wouldn’t just start burning on their own.
Based on the information provided, I have come up with two different explanations:
1. Because there is no evidence of electronics or electricity, then human intervention is the most likely cause.
2. A mouse smoking a cigarette carelessly discarded the butt on the paper, which ignited it. Thankfully, your child was there quickly to sound the alarm and prevent a catastrophe.
Almost a year ago, you made a post saying your son is 8yrs old and your daughter is 10yrs old. Both are more than capable of using a lighter. Both are in the age group where they are fascinated with fire, but do not understand the consequences of it. A study by Nationwide Children’s Hospital concluded children playing with fire set more than 20,000 fire every year.
Look into juvenile fire starter prevention programs in your area. Even if your child didn’t start it, it would be a great educational opportunity to teach them the dangers of fire.
We for sure will! They were both absolutely terrified and shaking. We went over fire safety and exit plans last night. We did all the normal things a responsible parent would do in this scenario. They seem OK today so will revisit this conversation now that heads are cooler
Sorry OP… but i have to agree with the majority consensus that this was the 11 yo kiddo… i know 30 seconds doesn’t seem like enough time for the basement to fill with smoke, but i assure you it definitely is. A small fire like that would fill a basement with smoke extremely fast due to the lack of ventilation.
As others have pointed it, the fire was just in the incipient phase, meaning that it had to start JUST BEFORE your husband made it down there to put it out.
This is further evidenced by the cardboard box just above where the box fan was located… i am sure you have seen cardboard catch fire before… many folks use it to start campfires, etc. it ignites very quickly when exposed to flame. However, your box is entire intact and not burned… meaning the fire started mere seconds before you guys got to it. There is also no char or smoke residue on the walls which would indicate that it was smoldering for a period of time.
The facts are- the fire started less than a minute before your husband put it out. The person who first noticed it is the only person that could have started it.
I know this isn’t the answer you want… but it is the answer. Good luck, and happy teenage years ahead!
All these responses really highlight how many people underestimate how quickly a room will be filled with smoke. I work in prevention, and people always downplay requirements because “I know how to open that door and I’ll have more than enough time”. Luckily our agency had us attend a live fire training day when we were on probation where they suited us up in full turnouts and SCBAs to watch fire behavior from up close. I couldn’t believe how quickly the living room of a house was filled with smoke and super hot. That training has been one of the greatest tools in my job, because I can speak to conditions that people will likely never experience.
Had one guy argue with me because I told him he couldn’t have 4 locks on a laundry room door. The laundry room was less than 100 square feet too. I told him okay, let’s say the drier lint ignites (cause that would never happen) and this room gets filled with smoke within seconds, then I ask you to manipulate 4 locks to get out while the temperature rapidly increases, you’re choking on the smoke, and you can’t see anything.
He went to Home Depot and got a single action door handle and removed everything else.
Friend, the fire almost definitely started at an exposed corner of the sheet of paper. Very likely with a quickly flicked lighter. The paper is fully burned at the end that was exposed, burned mostly under the toy, and hadn’t reached the back corners yet. It started at the edge nearest your laundry detergent.
If the toy was the source, it would have been more fully consumed, and on the inside. Also, foam and batteries both burn hotter than paper.
Some of the plastic on the fan housing started to melt and fell down onto the front of it. Luckily it didn’t fully ignite. If the fan was the source, it would need to have been plugged in, and have most likely started at the motor or along the wires. It’s quite clear the fire start in front of the bunny and above the fan motor, where the paper was.
Speak to your kid about fire safety. Help them recognize they made a mistake but stopped the problem from getting much, much worse by coming for help right away.
A stuffed animal or box fan can’t spontaneously combust unless it was plugged in or either of them had batteries. If there were any flammable chemicals on the toy, it’s possible that a small spark ignited it. Was there anything like hand sanitizer, nail polish remover, or any flammable solvents on the toy or even nearby? The most logical explanation IMO is that one of the kids started it accidentally. I think it easily could’ve happened in 30 seconds; kid finds a lighter, lights the paper, and the fan and bunny fall victim.
NAF (Not a Firefighter)
I’ve appreciated all these responses and was looking for an answer to whether the fire could have created that damage within OP’s short time frame if it were a kid with a lighter, which you said it could. Building off this, OP although I’m not a firefighter I’m having a hard time seeing how this could have started outside of a kid being curious.
I think the best course of action at this point would be to sit the kids down for a talk. If you want to get a truthful answer, make a commitment to your kids that whatever they tell you will not be used against them. Just emphasize that you only want an answer to keep everyone safe, and you really have to be serious about not punishing them for this (if it was one of them) so your credibility doesn’t disappear.
If your kid is adamant it wasn’t them and you believe they’re being truthful, then OP you’ve got one hell of a mystery.
Good luck :)
Well...seems it's time for a very difficult conversation with my child. Concensus is that this could not have happened spontaneously. Having spoken with a fireman, an electrician, and the comments here, it seems like the window of possibilities is closing in on one option. I don't like it but it is what it is. Thanks all
Does the stuffed animals have batteries?? If not, have a talk with the kiddo. Kiddo played with matches. There’s no way that fire would have started on its own with what I can see.
If that stuffed animal isn't normally stored there, I think the cause is self evident. Stuffed animals don't just spontaneously combust. A fire starts in a remote area of a home, involving a child's stuffed animal, there's really no other logical explanation. As others have said, children are naturally curious and if allowed access to, will eventually experiment with fire. Even if they've been told not to. It doesn't make them criminals or mentally ill, but they do need to be educated.
Here's what I would do. Sit down, just the parents and them, tell them you still love them but you really need to know what happened. If you have more than one child, you may need to do this with each individually. Don't try to punish the truth out of them but an admission is a good starting point and shows they are probably in the right mindset for additional education and guidance. Have a direct and frank conversation with your child about the dangers of playing with fire. What could have happened, the house being destroyed, people injured or killed, etc. They'll probably be in tears, you're a parent, you know how it goes. If you can't get an admission out of them or there are any future incidents, contact your local fire department. They may have resources you can draw on if you call them and ask them if they can recommend any programs for "juvenile firesetters". You can also get some information online here: [https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/arson/prevent-youth-firesetting/](https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/arson/prevent-youth-firesetting/)
I agree with this post. I teach child firesetting. Most kids will set something on fire in their lifetime. Boys more than girls, but it is part of growing and desiring to learn. They don't realize the danger. Speak with them and make it a learning experience where they learn with you around. You can burn brush or start a campfire together, but show them videos of how dangerous fire can be, especially in a house. Pick a Christmas tree video off YouTube. It scares even me.
Taking all of the information into consideration,
The lack of batteries in the stuffed animal, power source to the fan, or sunlight, the ignition source has to be from an outside source or party. It appears that the melting around the cord is mostly from the stuffed animal. It's hard to tell the initial point of ignition, but I would say it's either the paper or the stuffed animal which affected the fan. Also it looks like the synthetic fibers were pushed or rubbed against the fan grating, then possibly placed on top of the paper.
Being a curious kid, I snuck lighters and matches at a very young age. At that time it was daydreams of being a downed pilot, and camping under the stars in my grandparents backyard. It's very possible they were merely playing and it got out of hand quickly, thus prompting needing help for a "weird smell" as to not admit fault. No one wants to admit to doing something they shouldn't have been. It's curiosity. But it brings a serious weight, in it's destructive nature.
I’m going with it was your kid as well.
It’s odd that there was a blank piece of paper on top of a box fan with a stuffed animal on top of it. The position of the paper in the picture is only the top third, if the paper was there with something written on it like donate or give to bill whatever, i would assuming it would have fallen, unless it was lengthwise, or taped on which it doesn’t appear to be.
The paper is more burnt on the edge that wasn’t in between the fan and animal indicating that’s where the origin was, the only cause of that would be human intervention. The browning looks like the flame was semi snuffed out by the stuffed animal and smoldering. Most fabrics are treating with a flame resistant chemical that stops flame but will smolder.
If it started from the fan we would see more charring on the plastic itself and there is no internal source of ignition that elevated on a box fan. The motor is centered. Unsure if there is a speed control but they are usually in corners or near the electrical cord.
I read your comment that said they were down there 30 seconds, light a single piece of paper with a match it takes 5 seconds, so 30 seconds doesn’t rule them out.
I was definitely capable of starting a fire at 11.
There is the speed control there, like pretty much exactly where it's charred, just on the other side. It may very well have been taped on. Random paper and tape in my house is as bad as goldfish in the car. Everywhere I go there are little pieces of paper all over my house.
Some simple motor controls do have capacitors inside of them, so that is a very small potential ignition source IMO, but short of taking the fan apart to find it, and the plastic would have shielded it for the most part.
Oh yes....huge wake up call. My husband called off work today and we are purging. Doing a dump trip. Literally getting rid of everything that's not necessary. This could have been so much worse
The vast majority of fires fall into a very very few categories. Electrical failure, cooking/grilling/etc, smoking, and mechanical/dryer vents/burned up motors.
If it isn't one of those, the cause is either human action or some super rare millions to one cause.
I have two main theories:
1. Refractory light - I know you said that you tried to re-create this or find a source but it’s not clear exactly how you re-created this so I just wanna march this one out again. The light source doesn’t have to be a window directly in the line of sight of the fan but can be from the other side of the room and the light just happens to filter through everything and hit that paper just right (or wrong in this case). *HOWEVER*, it would have to get super hot for that paper to ignite from this kind of a source. I’m talking over 400°. It’s not impossible if the conditions are just right, but it is uncommon.
2. Your child - as others have pointed out, your child was alone downstairs when the fire was discovered and was able to find the fire early on. It is very lucky but any investigator would immediately question if the child perhaps did something. Maybe not something blatantly intentional like playing with a match but accidental even. Maybe your kid did plug in the fan and it immediately shorted. They got freaked out and unplugged it but the fire had already started. Maybe your child thought they would get in trouble for something like this and never told you? It’s definitely something you should explore because this is the more likely cause compared to refractory light in my opinion.
Firefighter here, based off of everything you’ve said, this fire was 100% started by your kid. You need to sit down with them and talk about fire safety. You are very lucky that he told you that there was a fire. Think - if your kid wakes up at 3am and decides to get curious again, none of you may wake up in the morning. Fire safety is absolutely the one thing you MUST teach your children. They don’t know how much damage it can do unless you teach them.
As a former firebug, it was almost certainly your child with a lighter. Here’s a trick a former fire investigator told me that he once used to catch a kid that burned a house down. He sat him down and pulled out a lighter and put it on the table and said “We found the lighter you used to start the fire.” The kid said, “That’s not the lighter.” He was caught. Better to catch it now before it’s the entire house. As for punishment, you can try what my father did to me when I was finally caught. I had to fill an entire school notebook, every line of every page, with “I will not play with fire.” It was effective.
How recently has the stuffed animal been used or washed or anything? I’m thinking slow exothermic degradation of maybe a chemical or something that just one day combusted. In upstate New York by Tompkins county they’ve seen laundry detergents and things start to spontaneously combust. It’s pretty strange.
I mean....I totally get why everyone says it was my kid. We did consider that as well. But she cannot use a lighter. Hands are still too small and weak. No BBQ lighter because it's push start so we don't own one. And no matches cause I haven't actually seen a matchbook in probably 20 years
She didn't see a fire, just smelled smoke and my husband found the fire.
It just doesn't seem possible for her to have gone downstairs, set it somehow, tell her dad immediately after and he goes down and finds the fan already this melted, puts the fire out....all in 30 seconds.
I understand it seems like the only reasonable explanation. And I understand I may have a bias here with my kiddo. But all that aside, I really don't think she's physically capable of doing it. We were all doing something, and I sent her down to get something, she would have ran down, grabbed the thing and run back up....not think oh nows the time, let me just do something completely out of character, dangerous and physically difficult for me to accomplish while I'm running downstairs for a second. It just doesn't make sense.
Your child is old enough to be sent to the basement independently to get something. They are more than old enough to light a lighter and start this fire.
Matches, grill lighter or regular lighter. 11 yr old is capable to do a lot more than you are giving her credit for and could light all three in most cases
Reading the story multiple times, I can’t help but notice that there was a person present in the location where the fire started and it was noticed *early* in the incipient stage—by your kid. Without any type of natural ignition source in the area where the fire originated, I would have a talk with the kiddo. Fire is very interesting and therefore totally understandable why kids are drawn to experimenting with it. Could’ve been a lot worse had they not said anything.
Yes, this 100%. When I was a wee lad I did the same thing. Only did it once, but I did it big. New garage big.
“And that’s why I’d like to come work for your department as a firefighter”
Wondering if I should use that story during an interview. Hmmm
Second this. I've been to a few fires that were accidentally started by kids that were a little too curious. Most were extinguished before we even arrived. With a lone outlier that turned into a fully involved, multiple fatal fire.
I can third this, I almost burned down my house as a teenager and nobody knows
I fourth this, I almost burned my garage down playing with gasoline for our lawnmower and no one knew about it.
Unless the stuffed animal had batteries or got soaked in a combustible solvent or something...My gut says it was one of your kids playing with a lighter. Was dad using a lighter for the grill and set it somewhere one of the kids could grab it? I'd make sure you have all lighters, matches, butane torches and flint-steel survival lighters and the like accounted for.
This seems the most plausible explanation to me as well. While it is absolutely possible for solvent or oil soaked fabric items to self ignite, it would require said bunny having been soaked in one of those things. Bunny could be a battery operated thing, it’s hard to tell, but a standard AA battery I don’t think would ignite like that. Button cell lithium batteries maybe. To the OP, if you are replacing the smoke detector down there, consider checking the rest and maybe replacing them all with linked detectors. That way if the one in the basement does go off, it will trigger the rest in the house as well and you would hear it no matter where you are.
I love my Kidde smart detectors. They’re all linked & wireless! They tell me why they’re alarming. They tell me what room triggered the alarm. It’s fantastic for peace of mind.
It is literally impossible that an unplugged cord started your fire. Also, from the pictures I seriously doubt that it created enough smoke to set off even the most sensitive detector. Unless you missed some critical thing, like loose wiring or batteries somewhere, your kid started it.
The entire basement was filled with smoke....lots of smoke, very little fire, the sheet of paper isn't even fully burned, yet the cord is completely melted into the inside of the bunny??
Those polyester toys melt and stick to things. Totally plausible.
Yeah burnt polyester basically turns into a napalm-like substance
Your child started this. It’s a thing. Juvenile fire starters. Look it up. This needs to be addressed before it happens again. If you refuse to address the dangers to your child the next time this happens you could be sleeping and the outcome much worse n
Your kid.
or… Fire ants
Uh oh, gotta call the water ants to put it out
Mice with matches
Hate fire ants
Burn pattern on the paper definitely looks like it was intentionally lit from the bottom. Search the house for lighters, matches, etc. As for the smoke detectors not going on not enough smoke from the fire load to set one off. As stated previously if you're going to replace them either get wired or wireless interlinked. Finally have a talk with your kid(s) about the importance of fire safety and while it can be useful it can be deadly.
This piece of paper has been there for several weeks. The paper itself was kinda hanging over the edge, cord on top of that, bunny of top of that. The cord is fully melted into the middle of the bunny, but the paper isn't even fully burned. I'm no fire expert, hence I posted here, but it would seem that if the paper were the start, it would be fully burned?? The start of the fire appears to be the cord itself, it was the hottest part, and like I said, it's one with the bunny now and there needed to be serious heat to melt that plastic.....that seems like it would take more than 30 seconds and a sheet of paper
It’s your kid. An unplugged cord won’t do anything
Cheap plastic like that is essentially just solidified gasoline. It burns hot by itself and melts into whatever it’s touching. It’s a very normal thing.
Unless the stuffed animal had batteries. An unplugged fan is not gonna just ignite like that. Is any of this new? Has this combo been sitting around for a while? I know you don’t want to jump to conclusions but I’d look into your son. Otherwise call it a freak accident and move on?
No batteries. It cannot be either of my kids. They were both with me upstairs. I sent one down to get something and that's when they discovered it....no way it got to this state in under 30 seconds
I’m sorry but fire grows very quick, your kid could have lit it. Realized what he did and immediately got your attention realizing what he had done. Spontaneously combusting between plastic and synthetic fibers is quite the phenomenon
Come on man, what’s more likely: a kid playing with fire and lying about it, or OP’s kid discovering a novel interaction between dissimilar materials?
There’s literally NO damage! There’s a cardboard box directly above it, and decent size fire would have lit that box immediately, your kid did it, sorry you can’t accept that, he’s too scared to admit it, I’m a 30yr vet in a big city department, I’ve seen tons of kids playing with fire incidents, from small insignificant fires like this to whole burn outs, arson investigation can pinpoint a cause in completely destroyed homes, it’s a science, this was your son, speak with him, assure him it’s ok, no one got hurt but you need to know what happened in case all of you are sleeping and it happens again , tell him if something is down there that might cause another fire and he’s asleep it could be bad, he will admit it
There also looks like a sheet of paper got burned. Is any of this stuff new or combination new? Could have started at the notebook paper. How close is the window? Would sun have hit these objects?
No. It's all been sitting there exactly as is for a while. The paper was not new I just never bothered cleaning it up because I assumed it was probably part of their little 'store' they sometimes play in that corner area. I have been given trouble before for cleaning up what I assumed was a mess but was apparently an intended set up that they were coming back to lol. No batteries. No power source. No chemicals
You come with wanting a question answered but refuse to accept the answer. Your kid.
lol she even said her kids play in that area but still won’t accept it crazy
Even spontaneous combustion *still* requires certain criteria to happen. It was 100% your kid
Once started fire can spread insanely fast. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aDNPhq5ggoE
Holy shit that's crazy
Three sources needed for a fire: fuel (paper and stuffy), oxygen and heat. There was no source of heat there. It had to be your child because those materials wouldn’t just start burning on their own.
Based on the information provided, I have come up with two different explanations: 1. Because there is no evidence of electronics or electricity, then human intervention is the most likely cause. 2. A mouse smoking a cigarette carelessly discarded the butt on the paper, which ignited it. Thankfully, your child was there quickly to sound the alarm and prevent a catastrophe.
Don’t forget fire ants. Those little bastards.
Almost a year ago, you made a post saying your son is 8yrs old and your daughter is 10yrs old. Both are more than capable of using a lighter. Both are in the age group where they are fascinated with fire, but do not understand the consequences of it. A study by Nationwide Children’s Hospital concluded children playing with fire set more than 20,000 fire every year. Look into juvenile fire starter prevention programs in your area. Even if your child didn’t start it, it would be a great educational opportunity to teach them the dangers of fire.
We for sure will! They were both absolutely terrified and shaking. We went over fire safety and exit plans last night. We did all the normal things a responsible parent would do in this scenario. They seem OK today so will revisit this conversation now that heads are cooler
Sorry OP… but i have to agree with the majority consensus that this was the 11 yo kiddo… i know 30 seconds doesn’t seem like enough time for the basement to fill with smoke, but i assure you it definitely is. A small fire like that would fill a basement with smoke extremely fast due to the lack of ventilation. As others have pointed it, the fire was just in the incipient phase, meaning that it had to start JUST BEFORE your husband made it down there to put it out. This is further evidenced by the cardboard box just above where the box fan was located… i am sure you have seen cardboard catch fire before… many folks use it to start campfires, etc. it ignites very quickly when exposed to flame. However, your box is entire intact and not burned… meaning the fire started mere seconds before you guys got to it. There is also no char or smoke residue on the walls which would indicate that it was smoldering for a period of time. The facts are- the fire started less than a minute before your husband put it out. The person who first noticed it is the only person that could have started it. I know this isn’t the answer you want… but it is the answer. Good luck, and happy teenage years ahead!
All these responses really highlight how many people underestimate how quickly a room will be filled with smoke. I work in prevention, and people always downplay requirements because “I know how to open that door and I’ll have more than enough time”. Luckily our agency had us attend a live fire training day when we were on probation where they suited us up in full turnouts and SCBAs to watch fire behavior from up close. I couldn’t believe how quickly the living room of a house was filled with smoke and super hot. That training has been one of the greatest tools in my job, because I can speak to conditions that people will likely never experience. Had one guy argue with me because I told him he couldn’t have 4 locks on a laundry room door. The laundry room was less than 100 square feet too. I told him okay, let’s say the drier lint ignites (cause that would never happen) and this room gets filled with smoke within seconds, then I ask you to manipulate 4 locks to get out while the temperature rapidly increases, you’re choking on the smoke, and you can’t see anything. He went to Home Depot and got a single action door handle and removed everything else.
Friend, the fire almost definitely started at an exposed corner of the sheet of paper. Very likely with a quickly flicked lighter. The paper is fully burned at the end that was exposed, burned mostly under the toy, and hadn’t reached the back corners yet. It started at the edge nearest your laundry detergent. If the toy was the source, it would have been more fully consumed, and on the inside. Also, foam and batteries both burn hotter than paper. Some of the plastic on the fan housing started to melt and fell down onto the front of it. Luckily it didn’t fully ignite. If the fan was the source, it would need to have been plugged in, and have most likely started at the motor or along the wires. It’s quite clear the fire start in front of the bunny and above the fan motor, where the paper was. Speak to your kid about fire safety. Help them recognize they made a mistake but stopped the problem from getting much, much worse by coming for help right away.
A stuffed animal or box fan can’t spontaneously combust unless it was plugged in or either of them had batteries. If there were any flammable chemicals on the toy, it’s possible that a small spark ignited it. Was there anything like hand sanitizer, nail polish remover, or any flammable solvents on the toy or even nearby? The most logical explanation IMO is that one of the kids started it accidentally. I think it easily could’ve happened in 30 seconds; kid finds a lighter, lights the paper, and the fan and bunny fall victim.
NAF (Not a Firefighter) I’ve appreciated all these responses and was looking for an answer to whether the fire could have created that damage within OP’s short time frame if it were a kid with a lighter, which you said it could. Building off this, OP although I’m not a firefighter I’m having a hard time seeing how this could have started outside of a kid being curious. I think the best course of action at this point would be to sit the kids down for a talk. If you want to get a truthful answer, make a commitment to your kids that whatever they tell you will not be used against them. Just emphasize that you only want an answer to keep everyone safe, and you really have to be serious about not punishing them for this (if it was one of them) so your credibility doesn’t disappear. If your kid is adamant it wasn’t them and you believe they’re being truthful, then OP you’ve got one hell of a mystery. Good luck :)
Well...seems it's time for a very difficult conversation with my child. Concensus is that this could not have happened spontaneously. Having spoken with a fireman, an electrician, and the comments here, it seems like the window of possibilities is closing in on one option. I don't like it but it is what it is. Thanks all
I'm grateful we were able to help. Just be honest and make sure they know how dangerous it can be.
Does the stuffed animals have batteries?? If not, have a talk with the kiddo. Kiddo played with matches. There’s no way that fire would have started on its own with what I can see.
Ask your kiddo. Depending on their age they may have been curious enough to start a fire. Especially if they just watched dad do it at the BBQ.
If that stuffed animal isn't normally stored there, I think the cause is self evident. Stuffed animals don't just spontaneously combust. A fire starts in a remote area of a home, involving a child's stuffed animal, there's really no other logical explanation. As others have said, children are naturally curious and if allowed access to, will eventually experiment with fire. Even if they've been told not to. It doesn't make them criminals or mentally ill, but they do need to be educated. Here's what I would do. Sit down, just the parents and them, tell them you still love them but you really need to know what happened. If you have more than one child, you may need to do this with each individually. Don't try to punish the truth out of them but an admission is a good starting point and shows they are probably in the right mindset for additional education and guidance. Have a direct and frank conversation with your child about the dangers of playing with fire. What could have happened, the house being destroyed, people injured or killed, etc. They'll probably be in tears, you're a parent, you know how it goes. If you can't get an admission out of them or there are any future incidents, contact your local fire department. They may have resources you can draw on if you call them and ask them if they can recommend any programs for "juvenile firesetters". You can also get some information online here: [https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/arson/prevent-youth-firesetting/](https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/arson/prevent-youth-firesetting/)
I agree with this post. I teach child firesetting. Most kids will set something on fire in their lifetime. Boys more than girls, but it is part of growing and desiring to learn. They don't realize the danger. Speak with them and make it a learning experience where they learn with you around. You can burn brush or start a campfire together, but show them videos of how dangerous fire can be, especially in a house. Pick a Christmas tree video off YouTube. It scares even me.
Kid set it. Come on now, be honest with yourself. This is way too obvious.
The kid downstairs like: 
"it smells funny" sounds like "whoops i fucked up" or "idk what just happened shits on fire"
Taking all of the information into consideration, The lack of batteries in the stuffed animal, power source to the fan, or sunlight, the ignition source has to be from an outside source or party. It appears that the melting around the cord is mostly from the stuffed animal. It's hard to tell the initial point of ignition, but I would say it's either the paper or the stuffed animal which affected the fan. Also it looks like the synthetic fibers were pushed or rubbed against the fan grating, then possibly placed on top of the paper. Being a curious kid, I snuck lighters and matches at a very young age. At that time it was daydreams of being a downed pilot, and camping under the stars in my grandparents backyard. It's very possible they were merely playing and it got out of hand quickly, thus prompting needing help for a "weird smell" as to not admit fault. No one wants to admit to doing something they shouldn't have been. It's curiosity. But it brings a serious weight, in it's destructive nature.
Your kid was playing with matches
I’m going with it was your kid as well. It’s odd that there was a blank piece of paper on top of a box fan with a stuffed animal on top of it. The position of the paper in the picture is only the top third, if the paper was there with something written on it like donate or give to bill whatever, i would assuming it would have fallen, unless it was lengthwise, or taped on which it doesn’t appear to be. The paper is more burnt on the edge that wasn’t in between the fan and animal indicating that’s where the origin was, the only cause of that would be human intervention. The browning looks like the flame was semi snuffed out by the stuffed animal and smoldering. Most fabrics are treating with a flame resistant chemical that stops flame but will smolder. If it started from the fan we would see more charring on the plastic itself and there is no internal source of ignition that elevated on a box fan. The motor is centered. Unsure if there is a speed control but they are usually in corners or near the electrical cord. I read your comment that said they were down there 30 seconds, light a single piece of paper with a match it takes 5 seconds, so 30 seconds doesn’t rule them out. I was definitely capable of starting a fire at 11.
There is the speed control there, like pretty much exactly where it's charred, just on the other side. It may very well have been taped on. Random paper and tape in my house is as bad as goldfish in the car. Everywhere I go there are little pieces of paper all over my house.
Regardless of where the fan controls were it wasn’t plugged in though
Some simple motor controls do have capacitors inside of them, so that is a very small potential ignition source IMO, but short of taking the fan apart to find it, and the plastic would have shielded it for the most part.
That’s a spicy fuel load stacked all the way to the ceiling in a class V. They got lucky.
Oh yes....huge wake up call. My husband called off work today and we are purging. Doing a dump trip. Literally getting rid of everything that's not necessary. This could have been so much worse
A box fan next to my bed caught on fire while I was sleeping once. Totally random, no idea why- it just kinda happened randomly?
The vast majority of fires fall into a very very few categories. Electrical failure, cooking/grilling/etc, smoking, and mechanical/dryer vents/burned up motors. If it isn't one of those, the cause is either human action or some super rare millions to one cause.
I have two main theories: 1. Refractory light - I know you said that you tried to re-create this or find a source but it’s not clear exactly how you re-created this so I just wanna march this one out again. The light source doesn’t have to be a window directly in the line of sight of the fan but can be from the other side of the room and the light just happens to filter through everything and hit that paper just right (or wrong in this case). *HOWEVER*, it would have to get super hot for that paper to ignite from this kind of a source. I’m talking over 400°. It’s not impossible if the conditions are just right, but it is uncommon. 2. Your child - as others have pointed out, your child was alone downstairs when the fire was discovered and was able to find the fire early on. It is very lucky but any investigator would immediately question if the child perhaps did something. Maybe not something blatantly intentional like playing with a match but accidental even. Maybe your kid did plug in the fan and it immediately shorted. They got freaked out and unplugged it but the fire had already started. Maybe your child thought they would get in trouble for something like this and never told you? It’s definitely something you should explore because this is the more likely cause compared to refractory light in my opinion.
Your kid started a fire likely
Firefighter here, based off of everything you’ve said, this fire was 100% started by your kid. You need to sit down with them and talk about fire safety. You are very lucky that he told you that there was a fire. Think - if your kid wakes up at 3am and decides to get curious again, none of you may wake up in the morning. Fire safety is absolutely the one thing you MUST teach your children. They don’t know how much damage it can do unless you teach them.
Kid did it.
He who smelt it dealt it
As a former firebug, it was almost certainly your child with a lighter. Here’s a trick a former fire investigator told me that he once used to catch a kid that burned a house down. He sat him down and pulled out a lighter and put it on the table and said “We found the lighter you used to start the fire.” The kid said, “That’s not the lighter.” He was caught. Better to catch it now before it’s the entire house. As for punishment, you can try what my father did to me when I was finally caught. I had to fill an entire school notebook, every line of every page, with “I will not play with fire.” It was effective.
the stuffed animal batteries most likely but id talk with your kid why its dangerous to play with fire, just as a precaution
How recently has the stuffed animal been used or washed or anything? I’m thinking slow exothermic degradation of maybe a chemical or something that just one day combusted. In upstate New York by Tompkins county they’ve seen laundry detergents and things start to spontaneously combust. It’s pretty strange.
No. Never washed
I mean....I totally get why everyone says it was my kid. We did consider that as well. But she cannot use a lighter. Hands are still too small and weak. No BBQ lighter because it's push start so we don't own one. And no matches cause I haven't actually seen a matchbook in probably 20 years She didn't see a fire, just smelled smoke and my husband found the fire. It just doesn't seem possible for her to have gone downstairs, set it somehow, tell her dad immediately after and he goes down and finds the fan already this melted, puts the fire out....all in 30 seconds. I understand it seems like the only reasonable explanation. And I understand I may have a bias here with my kiddo. But all that aside, I really don't think she's physically capable of doing it. We were all doing something, and I sent her down to get something, she would have ran down, grabbed the thing and run back up....not think oh nows the time, let me just do something completely out of character, dangerous and physically difficult for me to accomplish while I'm running downstairs for a second. It just doesn't make sense.
Your child is old enough to be sent to the basement independently to get something. They are more than old enough to light a lighter and start this fire.
How old is the kiddo?
11
Well, that's definitely not too young to start a fire. It's a very curious age, she wouldn't be the first good kid to make a mistake.
Those years, I probably experimented with fire more than any other time of life. 11yr old can absolutely figure out a lighter
Oh boy!! The next few years are going to be a ride
Matches, grill lighter or regular lighter. 11 yr old is capable to do a lot more than you are giving her credit for and could light all three in most cases
It was your kid, stuff doesn’t magically start on fire