On Tuesday, April 24, at 5:15 PM, 1 Company of
Firefighters and Paramedics arrived at a single-family residence to find a severely burned 6 year-old female, conscious and alert, however in excruciating pain. The child had suffered severe second and third degree burns to her back, chest, and arms and was in critical condition. She was immediately assessed, provided Advanced Life Support treatment and transported Code-3 to
The child had apparently found a small lighter and had been playing with it in a remote location of the house, accidentally igniting her clothes on fire. She immediately began screaming and ran out of the rear door of the home, screaming in the back yard. A 17-year-old neighbor ran out of his house, seeing the burning girl, he grabbed a towel and ran towards the little girl. The burning girl ran back into her home , followed by the young man, who was able to chase her down, tackle her and wrap her in the towel, and extinguish the flames.
If it were not for the quick actions of the 17 year-old “Hero”, the young life would have been lost and the home may have been destroyed. Los Angeles Fire Department Arson Investigators in conjunction with LAPD Investigators conducted a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the events of the child’s injuries. The incident was determined to be “accidental” with no indications of neglect on the part of family members or others.