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4-Year-Old Blamed For Salinas House Fire

SALINAS (CBS/AP) - A 4-year-old boy playing with matches is being blamed for sparking a fire that burned down a house in Salinas.

Salinas fire Capt. Hector Cortez told the Monterey Herald when firefighters arrived Thursday evening they found the fire burning on all sides of the single-story home.

A woman living in the home was able to escape the flames by running out the back door with her boy and a 10-month-old daughter.

Cortez says the boy told firefighters that he was playing with matches.

The home, which the family was renting, is a total loss. The Red Cross was notified and was trying to assist the woman, her husband and the two children.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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