A small child sustained burns over 40 percent of his body in the Yorkshire area Friday night.
It happened in the 8000 block of Oak Street about 9 p.m. The child, believed to be 5 years old, was apparently injured while playing with a candle. Fire investigators were on the scene late Friday, piecing together exactly what happened.
When rescue crews arrived, the child was on the ground outside the house, a neighbor said. A helicopter was called and the child was flown to a trauma center in Washington.
The mother, who had tried to put out the flames with her hands, was treated at the scene for burns.
Fire officials said the child had serious and extensive burns.
Jason Cleveland, who lives across the street, said the child was "rambunctious" and was often seen riding a mini-four wheeler around the front yard.
Another neighbor, who had tried to console the child's mother, said the woman had lost her husband to cancer in September.
"I was just very concerned for the family. They don't need this kind of trouble right now," Robbie Joonsteen said.
Police officers were inside the house late Friday taking pictures and a fire marshal was at the scene interviewing witnesses.
The child's condition was unknown late Friday.
Burns are the fifth-leading cause of death among children 14 and younger in the United States, according to the National Safe Kids Coalition. Each year, approximately 116,600 children are treated for burns in emergency rooms.
The coalition said children can suffer third-degree burns after three seconds of exposure to flames or boiling hot water. Young children cannot recognize heat-related hazards quickly enough to react and pull away, the coalition said.
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