A fire started in a bedroom closet in a home eight miles south and two miles east of Steinbach on Highway 12.

La Broquerie fire chief Alain Nadeau says it appears one of the children was playing with a lighter in the closet and set some clothes on fire.

"Nobody is admitting to anything right now, but it looks like one of the kids was playing with an igniter (lighter). The bedroom was totally in smoke [when we arrived], the people had evacuated. There's a lot of charring in that closet, but the house seems to be saved."

Nadeau estimates the damage at approximately $5,000. He adds there were no injuries.

RCMP continue to investigate.