Now firefighters and lawmakers in our state are working to keep them out of your kids' hands.

What are they?

They’re called novelty lighters. And right now, state legislators in both the house and the senate are working on bills that would ban them from store shelves.

The firefighters we spoke with say this is a matter of life and death.

The flames burned through an Auburn home so fast, two adults and three children were killed.

Right away, neighbors shared their suspicions about how the fire started.

"She thinks one of the babies might have been downstairs and her youngest liked to play with lighters, but they're still not sure," said Lori Osborne, a neighbor near the burned home.

Investigating that scene in December of 1992 was then-Auburn Fire Marshall, Wayne Senter.

"You just never forget these things as long as you live," said Senter.

Now, Senter is the president of Washington State Fire Chiefs and says, even though a definitive cause of the Auburn fire was never officially determined, investigators believe a child playing with a novelty lighter started the fire, killing him and four others.

"The mother who survived the fire claimed that the youngest was known to play with novelty lighters in the exact spot where the fire had started," said Senter.

Novelty lighters are a hot-button issue these days. They're inexpensive, are sold at many convenience stores and online, and look like the toys kids play with every day. Some states have already banned the sale of novelty lighters. Spokane Valley Fire Investigator Rick Freier believes that Washington needs to as well.

"It sure is just a product that doesn't make sense to us. It sure contradicts all the stuff we tell kids about lighters not being toys and they shouldn't play with them," said Freier.

But not everyone thinks banning the lighters is something lawmakers need to do.

Novelty lighters clearly have printed warnings to keep them away from children, and the owner of a California company that imports the lighters tells KIRO 7 Consumer Investigators that novelty lighters are only a small fraction of the market. He claims novelty lighters are more child-safe and tamper resistant than other lighters. And says, "We cannot legislate responsible parenting."

Chief Senter agrees to a point.

"It is really a parental issue and it's a regulation issue because the risk is so great that we have to rely on the regulation side to prevent this in any way," said Senter.

The bills are still working their way through Olympia. Governor's Gregoire's office would not say whether she'll sign a version of them into law.

Not all disposable lighters would be banned -- just ones that look like toys, food, cars -- basically, any lighter that appeal to children. That's something else the novelty lighter businessman from California says is a serious flaw in this ban.