3 Boise kids playing ‘Survivor’ game lit fire that burned down house, sheds

Three young kids started a fire as part of a game they were playing late Friday afternoon — and did not intend to burn down a neighbor’s house and three sheds, according to Boise Fire officials.

It was an accident, not arson.

So the two 8-year-olds and an 11-year-old won’t face criminal prosecution for the fast-moving fire they started along the New York Canal at Hervey and Malad streets on the Boise Bench.

But the trio will be speaking with a school resource officer and attending the Juvenile Fire Setters Program.

They were playing “Survivor” camp, said Boise Fire spokeswoman Char Jackson. They created a makeshift camp stove by digging a hole in the canal bank and covering it with a piece of tin. The fire ignited heavy brush on the canal bank, then spread rapidly toward structures along Hervey and Malad streets.

Selso Anthony Antunes, who was napping after work when he heard people shouting outside, was able to get out of his house safely before it burned down. He was also able to move his truck. Antunes’ house at 2750 S. Hervey St. is a total loss, fire officials said.

One of three sheds that burned was Antunes’ shed, the other two were his neighbors’ sheds. There weren’t any cars or boats in the sheds, just tools and household items, Jackson said.

The fire department has a Burnout Fund to assist people like Antunes, who have been displaced by fire.

Boise fire officials ask parents to teach their young children about the dangers of fire — and always keep matches and lighters out of their reach.

Children age 2 to 5 become very curious about fire but don’t understand the damage it can do. Older children may develop an interest in fire due to mental or emotional issues, and a crisis could lead them to set fires, officials say.

Katy Moeller: 208-377-6413

This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 11:16 AM.