Careless use of a grill lighter led to $75,000 in damage to a Tea home on Thursday.
Firefighters from Tea, Harrisburg and Sioux Falls responded to a report of an exploding sound at 825 N. Poplar on Thursday and saw a fire on the back porch of the home.
The fire spread to the side of the home and into the attic before it was brought under control.
Tea Fire Chief Grant Van Riesen said two firefighters went inside the house to put out the attic blaze.
The fire started on the back deck, where a 9-year-old boy used a grill lighter to set garbage on fire. He thought he’d put the fire out, but it re-ignited when he went inside the house to watch television.
The boy was home alone at the time.
The fire heated up a propane tank attached the grill, the chief said. An automatic safety feature designed to keep the tank from exploding began to release propane, which in turn fueled the fire as it crawled up the back of the house.
There was $75,000 in damage altogether, which will be covered by homeowner’s insurance. The home will need to be re-roofed. No one was hurt in the fire.
The chief said it is important for parents to try and keep matches and lighters in places where children cannot find them.
“It’s easy for them to get a hold of them and try and use them,” he said.