WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Children playing with water pistols are being credited with extinguishing a fire on the deck of a West Fargo apartment in which a person was sleeping inside.

The children noticed the fire Tuesday afternoon and attacked it with their water pistols before it could get out of hand. They also banged on the door to wake up the man inside, and one child ran to report the fire to an adult.

Fire Chief Dan Fuller tells WDAY-TV that "we were probably minutes away from having a real, real serious fire."

The Fire Department has invited the children to the station for a pizza party as a reward.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by discarded smoking materials.

More From US 103-3