I think the awareness that's going on throughout the country now is making people report what it really is. The agency does not distinguish how many deaths and how much damage was caused by juveniles. In 1985 in Springfield, a 17-yearold doused a house with gasoline before setting it on fire, killing five members of the same family. The teen-ager was convicted of murder. Often, experts said, a child sets a fire as a cry for help for other problems, such as physical or sexual abuse.
Many children require professional counseling to help control their fire-lighting tendencies.
One problem, fire safety specialists said, is that children simply aren't taught well enough that fire can be dangerous. Robert Callahan, who heads Springfield's arson division. In the case of the LaBroads, two people died. The NFPA recommends that parents teach their children at an early age that matchers and lighters are for adults only. The agency suggests keeping matches and lighters in a locked cabinet.