A fire broke out in a four-storey villa in Wuhan, Hubei, China, after a five-year-old boy accidentally set a room ablaze while playing with a lighter.
According to Chinese news outlet NetEase, the incident occurred on Wednesday (17 Dec) and resulted in losses estimated at between RMB600,000 and RMB700,000 (S$110,000 to S$128,000).
According to the boy’s father, Mr Mao (name transliterated from Chinese), his son had been playing with a lighter when he accidentally ignited a piece of tissue paper.
Source: @观察者网 on Douyin
Startled by the heat, the child instinctively dropped the burning tissue. Unfortunately, it landed on the curtains, causing the fire to spread rapidly and engulf one of the rooms.
The affected room contained several high-value items, including high-end gaming PCs, a Sony television, and gaming consoles such as a PlayStation 5 and a Nintendo Switch.
All the electronic equipment was either completely melted or damaged beyond repair.
Fortunately, the fire was contained to a single room and did not spread to the rest of the villa.
No injuries were reported, and the child was unharmed.
Source: @观察者网 on Douyin
After the incident, Mr Mao said he chose not to punish his son physically. Instead, he spoke to him seriously to help him understand the seriousness of his actions.
“It was also due to the adults’ negligence that the child found the lighter in the crack of the bed,” he explained.
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Featured image adapted from @观察者网 on Douyin.