It has prompted a stern warning from the local fire brigade about the potential danger. Inverell Fire Station Officer Mark Savage said two houses had been severely damaged by fires caused by children playing with lighters or matches in the year.

"I cannot stress more the importance of keeping smokes, lighters or matches away from kids reach, particularly if those children express an enthusiasm for fire.

"Kids will often go off in secret to play with fire, so their bedrooms, which often have a lot of flammable things in them, luckily in this case the mother heard the kids as soon as the fire started and got everyone out, but it can get fatal very quickly."

Station Officer Savage said that while the loss of property was distressing, he said it was lucky no one has been hurt.

"I shudder to imagine if we lost kids as well as property in these situations, but parents need to remain vigilant with lighters, matches and smokes, kids mimic what their parents do, so if these things are in their reach they are going to try them out."

The blaze was contained to the front of the house and one of the bedrooms where the children were playing, with the occupants of the house able to salvage some of their possessions.

The Inverell Fire Brigade, Inverell Police and detectives and Country Energy repres-entatives attended the fire.

No one was injured in the fire, as the occupants who were home at the time were able to escape the burning house and alert the authorities.