A 3-year-old girl suffered burns from a small tabletop firepit at a residence in Windsor Locks over the weekend.
Police said they responded to Tracy Circle on Sunday and found the mother holding the little girl, who had burns on her face and arms.
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WATCH HEREThe child's father was visibly upset and trying to keep his daughter calm, police said.
He told officers that a gust of wind pushed the fire toward his 3-year-old daughter as they were lighting the pit.
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SIGN UP Paramedics took the little girl and her parents to Connecticut Children’s and police later learned that the child suffered first-second-and-second-degree burns to her face, chest and arms.
They said her airway was not affected.
Police said it appears that the tabletop firepit flashed over, injuring the child who was on one side of the table.
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While the fire pit in this case was small, large ones are popular this time of year, and fire officials say it’s important to keep these safety tips in mind.
“Most important thing is you gotta be closely supervising the children that are in the area. Try to keep them away from it, 3 feet away is a general rule that we use,” said Alan Zygmunt, public information officer at the Connecticut Fire Academy.
Zygmunt said the wind can add to the danger of fires.
“Even minor wind like today can cause the fire to move in areas that are unexpected, so you just have to be ready for that,” Zygmunt said.
He also recommends checking the daily forest fire report before burning and making sure you’re allowed to have a fire pit in your community.
“If forest fire danger is high, very high or extreme, generally no outdoor burning should be conducted because those conditions create situations where the fires can quickly spread and cause a lot of damage,” he said.
Zygmunt also said it’s important to make sure you’re burning safe materials, like dried wood, and be sure to keep the fire pit far away from any structures. It’s always good practice to keep a fire extinguisher on hand, he adds, and never let the flames get out of hand.
“You wanna make sure when you’re setting up your fire pit, it’s a ways away from the building, from any building that’s on your property. They usually recommend 50 feet, but not every property’s conducive to that. You wanna make sure there’s a big buffer zone,” Zygmunt said. “One of the things you wanna make sure is the fire is relatively small, and can easily be contained.”
The Windsor Locks Fire Department investigated the area around the fire pit and police will be following up with the fire marshal’s office and the family.
