CHESTERFIELD INLET - A young child and an unguarded lighter proved, once again, to be a dangerous combination in Chesterfield Inlet earlier this month.

Three adults and two children escaped a house fire that was caused by a child playing with a lighter in Chesterfield Inlet earlier this month.

The 42-month-old child set one of the beds ablaze in the singledwelling home at about 8 p.m. on April 10, causing a fire that resulted in $180,000 worth of damage to the home.

The child's two parents, one sibling and another adult were at home when the fire was discovered. All five escaped the home without injury.

The Chesterfield Inlet Volunteer Fire Department was on the scene a mere three minutes after the alarm sounded, and had the fire under control in about 15 minutes.

RCMP Cpl. Pete Garvey said when he arrived at the scene, heavy smoke was pouring from the building as firefighters were getting ready to battle the blaze.

He said the fire was beginning to come out of one window when the firefighters sprung into action.

"Our firefighters did an excellent job, and I do mean an excellent job, handling this fire," said Garvey.

"The interior of the dwelling sustained a lot of damage, but you couldn't tell there was a fire by looking at the outside of the house, except for that window.

"They were onscene in about three minutes and I can't say enough about the job they did extinguishing the fire before it could amount to anything more serious."

Garvey said the fire is yet another example of how parents have to be vigilant in keeping matches and lighters away from toddlers. He said the RCMP had no trouble with residents getting too close while the firefighters did their job.

"People were very co-operative and helpful while the fire was burning.

"Following this incident, it's time to remind people, once again, of the basic safety message of making sure the young ones don't have access to matches or lighters.

"There were no injuries in the fire, and that's always the biggest concern.

"Houses or furniture can be replaced."

Fire Chief Jayco Kimmaliardjuk has been on the job in Chester for about 18 months. He said the call was his first house fire as fire chief.

"We had nine firefighters on scene and they responded the moment they heard the call on local radio," said Kimmaliardjuk.

"Except for, maybe, one or two guys, that was the first house fire for every guy on our crew, and I'm very happy with their performance.

"The damage was caused by the fire, smoke and water, but nobody was hurt to my knowledge, and that's the important thing."