Children and fire are a potentially lethal combination. Even when they play with it innocently, the consequences can be horrific. Add the mischief which leads to arson and you arrive at the sort of situation that Bradford has experienced in recent years with many classrooms and derelict buildings set on fire.

Fire-raising, whether it's done deliberately or accidentally as a result of experimentation, is a major problem. It's a sad fact that most of those responsible are children, so the Child Fire Awareness Programme just launched in Bradford is a very welcome initiative aimed at stripping fire of its mystique and making youngsters fully aware of the consequences of meddling with it.

Not all children will be targeted. The scheme will only deal with those who have been referred to it after being identified as having an unhealthy interest in fire. However, the scale of the problem is made shockingly clear by the fact that Leading Firefighter Stephen Stone, who is responsible for the programme in West Yorkshire, sees about 400 youngsters every year.

While there is clearly much that can be done to help them, with an education package geared to their age, Firefighter Stone rightly points out that parents have a part to play too. He cites the case of a father who stuck a strip of paper into the gas fire to light a cigarette. It could hardly be surprising if his child went on to copy this.

It isn't just the children who need educating, it seems. Parents, too, need a few lessons on how to avoid inadvertently setting a bad example.