Missouri Baby Sitter Saves 4 Children from Fire

Officials said the fire at 106th Terrace and Jackson Avenue started from a child playing with a lighter.

Aug. 3, 2006

2 min read

A baby sitter rescued four children from a fire at a south Kansas City home Wednesday morning, KMBC's Peggy Breit reported.

Officials said the fire at 106th Terrace and Jackson Avenue started from a child playing with a lighter.

Breit reported that a 5-year-old child found his 4-year-old brother in the front bedroom with a lighter.

"And he came running out screaming. He said, 'Solomon has the lighter, a green lighter, he lit the pillow on fire,'" the baby sitter Johnita Littlejohn, 15, said.

Littlejohn said she got three of the children out of the house, then rack back in to rescue a 3-year-old who was in bed across the hall from the burning room.

"I was just trying to hold my breath, and he was in there coughing and stuff, and so I just kind of grabbed his arm and just tried to run a little bit out the door," Littlejohn said.

"She was amazing," said Contessa Buffalo, the children's mother.

Buffalo was at work at the time. She said she's grateful Littlejohn rescued the kids.

But Buffalo also said she's concerned, because this was the second fire at the home in less than 24 hours. Both were apparently caused for a 4-year-old who had gotten a hold of a lighter.

Last night, the child set a tree and a neighbor's shed on fire.

Buffalo said she thought she had handled the situation.

"I went through last night and thought I'd found all of the lighters and stuff. I must have missed one," Buffalo said.

Firefighters advised to always keep matches and lighters away from children.

"Children are curious and they'll investigate wherever a door is open for them, so it's best to keep those items out of their reach and out of their way," Battalion Chief Joe Vitale said.

The family will stay at a hotel temporarily. The Red Cross is assisting them.