9-year-old girl set herself on fire while playing with lighter
A 9-year-old Florida girl accidentally set herself on fire while playing with a lighter and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, authorities said.
The Fort Lauderdale girl had second-degree burns on her arms and legs, and covering roughly 30 percent of her body after flames engulfed her Thursday evening around 7 p.m, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan told The Post.
“It’s believed at some point she must’ve ignited the bottle of alcohol, dropping it to the floor, which then caused the flames to come up her lower extremities,” Gollan said Friday.
The girl’s foster mom, who was outside playing with other kids, heard her daughter’s terrified screams and rushed inside, Gollan said.
The girl was rushed to a hospital in Fort Lauderdale before being transferred to a burn center in Miami due to the severity of her injuries. Her condition has since stabilized, Gollan said.
The girl’s mother will not be charged in connection to the incident, which has been ruled accidental.
Gollan, meanwhile, urged parents to keep lighters and all flammable materials away from children, especially during summer months when “kids are out of school and they’re bored.”
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