A 5-year-old boy playing with a lighter near a Christmas tree may have started Philadelphia fire that killed 12, investigators say

• Investigators are looking into whether a 5-year-old boy could have started the Philadelphia fire that killed 12.
• The boy told a neighbor that he accidentally lit a Christmas tree on fire while he was playing with a lighter, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Investigators are looking into whether a 5-year-old who was playing with a lighter near a Christmas tree could have started the Philadelphia fire that killed 12 on Wednesday morning.

According to police records obtained by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the boy — who escaped the fire — said he accidentally lit a Christmas tree on fire while he was playing with a lighter.

He first told a neighbor that this happened, according to the Inquirer, then a paramedic, a firefighter, and hospital staff. He also told them that his mother died in the fire.

The new information came to light Thursday as an investigation into the fire continued.

While identities of those who died have not yet been released, relatives told the Inquirer that the victims include three sisters and nine of their children.

The publically owned duplex went up in flames early Wednesday morning, making this the deadliest fire the city has seen in more than a century, according to CBS News.