Boy's magnifying glass play blamed for Ind. fire

MARION, Ind. (AP) -- A 12-year-old boy playing with a magnifying glass started a fire that destroyed a garage packed with a family's belongings and damaged some other buildings in Marion, a city fire investigator said.

The boy was burning paper, cardboard and fabric he found in the trash can when the blaze started Thursday evening, Marion fire investigator Geoff Williams told the Chronicle-Tribune (http://bit.ly/PoAJgp ).

"He got careless with it and, with the dry grass and the all-around temperature, it just went and took off on him," Williams said. "The conditions did lead to it also, that helped the fire spread because of dry grass."

No injuries were reported, but the fire burned a truck parked outside the garage and its heat damaged three nearby houses, another garage and power lines in the city midway between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. Williams estimated the damage at between $30,000 and $40,000.

Marilyn Huston said a neighbor knocked on her door to alert her that the garage was on fire. She said the family had used the garage for storage after moving from a larger house.

Huston said the garage contained her wedding dress, furniture and collectibles among many other items.

"We moved from an eight-room house into a four-room house, so there was a lot of stuff," she said.

Williams said the boy was "absolutely" remorseful about starting the fire.

Neighbor Nate Moss said the lights flickered inside his house across the alley from the garage and he decided to take a look outside.

"By the time I got out the sliding glass door the truck went `boom!"' he said.
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   Information from: Chronicle-Tribune, http://www.chronicle-tribune.com