COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 4-year-old child playing with a lighter near stored gasoline cans caused a devastating fire Tuesday night that destroyed a Newark home. The homeowner, Lillie Kerr, had lived there for more than 50 years.

The fire began in Kerr's detached garage on Buckingham Street , where her niece was living, and quickly spread to the main house. The child and Kerr's 22-year-old daughter were treated and released from the hospital with minor burn injuries.

"The unfortunate thing is, because of the proximity of where she was playing with the lighter, it was very close to a bunch of stored gas cans," said Newark Fire Department Deputy Chief Doug Vermaaten. "This is one that you'll remember forever."

Vermaaten explained that the lighter likely ignited vapors from the gas cans, causin

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