A Canadian family wants parents to know about the dangers of fire pits after their toddler suffered horrific burns hours after the fire was put out.
In May, the Cormier family claims they were cleaning their yard and started a fire in their backyard pit to burn off some debris. After enjoying some marshmallows, they doused the flames with water before heading inside for the night.
It wasn't until the next day —16 hours later they claim— that their two-and-a-half-year-old son Tristan fell into the pit while playing in the yard. Even though he was pull out within 30-seconds, the remaining embers in the fire were still hot enough to badly burn the toddler.
"My father was holding my son frantically and all I could see was just ashes everywhere and I instantly – as a mom – just took him inside and called 911," said Tristan's mother, Shelley Cormier in an interview with Global News.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he received surgery that removed skin from his back to replace what he lost on his left arm and hand.
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After three weeks of treatment and a skin graft surgery, Tristan was finally released from the hospital, but not before his mom shared a Facebook Live warning parents about her son's accident.
"It [fire] can burn up to 24 to 48 hours afterwards, depending on the temperature outside and the time of fire pit you're using. It was definitely a shock to see," she explained.
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Brian Levesque, a fire prevention officer with the City of Edmonton, told Global News that most people don't realize just how long an extinguished fire can stay hot for.
"If it looks like it is out but they're not 100% sure, the best thing to do is to add more water, give it a really good stir, add more water, stir it again and add more water. Just to be sure, to make sure it's really well flooded," he explained. "You don't want any smoke. You don't want to hear any popping. You don't want to hear any hissing. You don't want to see any steam coming off the wood anymore."
In addition to making sure that your fire is completely out, the U.S. Fire Administration recommends taking the following precautions to prevent fire or burn injury:
- Make sure the fire pit is at least three feet away from your house and anything that can burn.
- Closely watch children when the fire pit is in use.
- Use a metal screen over wood-burning fires to keep sparks from floating out.
- Turn off or put out fires before you leave the backyard.
- Store matches and lighters out of children's sight and reach.
Tristan's family has since set up a GoFundMe account to help alleviate the financial stress of his accident.
[h/t: Global News]
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