Maryland State Fire Marshal
News Release
Martin O’Malley Governor
Brian S. Geraci State Fire Marshal
CHILD RECEIVES SERIOUS BURNS AFTER CLOTHING CATCHES ON FIRE FROM USE OF LEGAL FIREWORKS GARRETT COUNTY, MD (July 4, 2014) – Deputy State Fire Marshals, Maryland State Police and Department of Natural Resources investigated an incident involving a 9 year-old male with 50% burn injuries to his upper torso, neck and arms. The incident occurred at the Savage River State Forest in Swanton, Garrett County at approximately 10:00 a.m. this morning. The child was transported by Maryland State Police helicopter to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in critical condition. Investigators determined the boy went outside of the tent where his mother was and ignited a sparkler causing his shirt to accidentally catch on fire. “Hand held sparklers burn at 1,200˚F and can quickly ignite combustibles such as clothing. The Office of the State Fire Marshal urges all Marylanders to keep fireworks out of the reach of children to avoid turning a holiday into a potential tragedy”, stated State Fire Marshal Brain S.Geraci. ###
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and explosion through a comprehensive program of education, inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering. For more information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: www.mdsp.org/firemarshal and/or http://facebook.com/MarylandStateFireMarshal. Media contact: Bruce D. Bouch, Deputy State Fire Marshal; 443-324-6876
1201 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208