Fire forces family into the cold

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) – A fire caused by a child playing with a lighter burned a family out of its home early Thursday.

The fire department said the two-alarm fire broke out just before 1:30 a.m. at 71¾ Vine St., forcing a mother and her two children to the street in below-zero temperatures.

Firefighters battled the extreme cold and ice as they worked to prevent the flames from spreading to other nearby buildings. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control.

Investigators said a child ignited bedding with a lighter.