GASTONIA, N.C. -- Two young brothers and their mother survived the fire that tore through their Gastonia home early Thursday, but firefighters said it could have easily been prevented.

Kelly Lane sat on the curb across the street from their Mutual Road home and, along with 4-year-old Gabriel and 5-year-old Dillon, watched as firefighters threw debris from what was left of the house.

“We have nothing. All of our stuff is being throwed out the door,” Lane said.

She said what hurts so much is that her sons started the fire that destroyed the home they shared with their grandparents. She said they were trying to light a cigarette in their bedroom despite prior warnings about fire safety.

“They took a tour of the fire department and talked to them numerous times about fire safety,” she said.

Minutes before the fire, the boys were scolded for playing with the lighter and cigarettes. They were taken away, but the children somehow got them again.

“My mother screamed out, 'Oh my God, the kids’ bed is on fire,’" Lane said.

She grabbed a pan of water to douse the small mattress fire, but when she stepped back into the bedroom the flames had grown.

“Both of their beds were engulfed in flames,” she said.

Lane's parents and sons made it out of the without getting hurt, but they learned a hard lesson.

“As sad as this situation is, this fire could have been totally prevented,” said Jim Landis of the Gastonia Fire Department.

Landis said take lighters and matches out of your home. He said then try to emphasize the dangers of fire.

“We try to get through to juveniles and explain to them what happens, what the consequences could be, such as now,” he said.

Lane said her sons still don't completely understand that their home is gone and insurance won't replace it all.

Firefighters said the children will go through their juvenile fire-setters program, a more personal fire safety project. If needed, they said the Department of Social Services can be contacted for behavioral counseling.

About the same time as the Gastonia fire, a house fire on Baker Street in Kings Mountain was also started by a 5-year-old child playing with fire on a bed. His parents and a 3-year-old sibling were also inside, but they all made it out safely.