Darleene Barrientos
An 11-year-old Glendale boy was recovering from severe burns Monday
after a match he was playing with ignited a few ounces of fuel used
for his radio-controlled car and exploded in his face.
The boy, a Balboa Elementary School sixth-grader, was apparently
playing with a match that burned close to his fingers Saturday
evening and he dropped it, igniting the vapors of some fuel in an
aluminum can that had been cut in half to hold the liquid.
The boy, whose name was not released, had poured the fuel into the
can as he prepared to transfer it to the plastic bottle made for the
remote-controlled car, police said. The boy told officers he was not
trying to burn anything or light anything on fire, but was just
playing outside his house in the 1000 block of Allen Avenue.
"With children, one of the main reasons they play with matches is
the curiosity factor," Glendale Fire Department spokesman Capt.
Carlos Guerrero said. "It's the most common reason why they play with
matches, but every year, there are over 20,000 residential fires
caused by children playing with matches. This is a classic example of
what could happen."
The boy suffered third-degree burns to his face and was taken to
Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. He was later taken
to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks. Calls to the center for
reports on his condition were not returned Monday.
Fire officials want to remind children of the dangers of playing
with matches and that adults should always watch their children,
especially if they are playing with complicated toys like
remote-controlled cars that are powered by fuel.
"Children should only handle that kind of fuel with adult
supervision," Guerrero said. "We don't recommend any children play
with flammable liquids."
Firefighters commended the boy's mother, who immediately covered
her son's face with a towel soaked in cold water.
"It was good to utilize cool water for a minimum of 15 minutes,"
Guerrero said.
