BOYS PLAYING WITH LIGHTER CHAR PALMDALE APARTMENT.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

Two children playing with a cigarette lighter set fire Wednesday to their Palmdale apartment, fire officials said.

The 2- and 4-year-old brothers escaped unharmed, but will be required to attend a program teaching youngsters the dangers of fire, said Capt. Dirk Wegner of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Flames engulfed their downstairs apartment about 10:45 a.m. and caused smoke damage to an upstairs unit at the Avenue R complex. Damage was estimated at $75,000.

``I tried to get a statement from them but they wouldn't say much,'' Wegner said. ``They denied everything and blamed each other.''

Wegner and sheriff's officials talked with Jacob Howell, 2, his big brother, Jack, and their parents before directing the family to the juvenile fire-setter program, which provides counseling and referrals as needed.

Through the program, a fire safety officer will meet with the family to determine why the children set the fire.

``Maybe there are some underlying problems there,'' said Wegner. ``If we can catch them at the time we find them playing with matches we have a better chance of curbing them. We can make a strong impact at a young age.''

``I didn't expect this,'' said the boys' father, Jack Howell, 24, who was home watching television and cleaning up when the fire started. He said he didn't know what his sons were doing in a back bedroom.

The youngsters apparently were using a cigarette lighter to burn a cardboard box full of toys, Howell said. He said he walked into the room and saw the flames. He pulled his sons to safety then threw a blanket over the fire hoping to extinguish it.

By the time firefighters arrived, two windows and a door had been blown out, said Howell.

``We acted fast and were able to keep it from extending into the attic or any adjacent units,'' Wegner said. ``The apartment is a total loss.''