NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Girl, 4, Blamed in Bedroom Fire

A 4-year-old girl playing with matches at a North Hollywood townhouse set her bedroom afire Tuesday but was rescued by an uncle, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The child sustained minor facial burns and suffered smoke inhalation, Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis said.

The girl admitted to starting the fire while she was playing with matches in a second-floor bedroom in the 5200 block of Satsuma Avenue, Collis said.

Collis said the child’s uncle was outside the complex when he saw thick smoke pouring from the bedroom window.

“He had to break in to get her,” Collis said. “It was definitely an extraordinary effort by him . . . he went above and beyond.”

It took 45 firefighters about 15 minutes to control the blaze, Collis said.

The girl’s mother was in a laundry room in another building when the fire broke out, Collis said.

Damage to the structure and contents was estimated at $35,000.