These are the shocking injuries suffered by a seven-year-old boy after he accidentally set is clothes on fire after trying to light a candle.
Brogan Davenport, from Linton, suffered third degree burns to his chest and back and had to spend six weeks in hospital undergoing painful skin grafts.
Brogan is now back at Woodville Infants School but is scarred for life and will have to wear a pressure vest for then next 10 years as his terrible injuries continue to heal.
The accident happened when Brogan managed to find a lighter in a kitchen drawer at home and lit a Christingle candle he had made at school in December. Unbeknown to his mum the youngster took the lighter to his bedroom and lit the candle.
However, the candle fell over and set his play shirt on fire. Brogan’s quickly top went up in flames, and he was only saved when his older brother, Logan, 13 came into the room, pushed Brogan to the floor and put out the flames by rolling the youngster on the floor.
Brogan was treated in the burns unit at Nottingham Queen’s Medical Centre.
Now his mum Heather, 31, has issued a warning to parents about keeping lighters and matches away from their children. Ms Davenport thought Brogan would not be able to find the lighter as it was well hidden in a drawer and has been left devastated by what happened to her son.
She praised her eldest son for his quick thinking action and says that without him, Brogan would have suffered burns to his face as well.
She said: “Because I like candles, I had a lighter and stored it away in a drawer, but I never thought that he would go and get it to try to light his own candle.”
She believed that by storing the lighter out of sight, in a cupboard, she was protecting her sons from danger, but it wasn’t that simple.
She said: “I have got candles around the house so I had a lighter. After he came home from school with a Christingle candle, he went upstairs with the lighter. He had his school shirt on, and it caught on fire. The shirt was one of those with an iron-on emblem, and this completely melted to his skin.
“It was his brother who pushed him to the ground to put out the flames. I wouldn’t have even thought of that at the time. We just had to sit him in a cold shower until the ambulance arrived.”
Brogan can no longer do some of the things that he used to enjoy doing. He can’t do some exercises because of his burns and he is currently undergoing physiotherapy to learn how to move again as the scars have made sections of his skin become much tighter.
He had to undergo several surgeries and skin grafts to recover, will have wear the pressurised vest for the next 10 years. Ms Davenport has thanked the hospital for looking after Brogan, saying the staff were 'fantastic'.
She said: “Children will play with anything they can get their hands on. That’s how my son got so badly hurt. If you do have lighters or matches in your house, make sure that you put them in a safe place.”
Meanwhile, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager for community safety Steve Ratcliffe said: “While the home is meant to be a place of safety, unfortunately it is a place where accidents are most likely to occur as evidenced by the terrifying ordeal that Brogan went through and indeed continues to face as he learns to live with the effects of the fire.
“It is essential that parents, guardians and responsible adults are aware of the dangers that are present in the home and that they take steps to reduce those risks. There are many simple precautions that parents can take to make the home a safer place, including keeping matches, lighters and smoking materials out of children’s reach.
“I’d encourage everyone to take a moment to learn how they can make the home a safer place for everyone by visiting Rospa’s website, or by visiting the Keeping Safe pages of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Services’ website.”
Fire Safety Tips
Every day, six children across the UK are hospitalised for fire-related injuries. There injures can often be avoided if parents work together with their children to teach them how to stay safe around fire.
Never leave lighters or matches around
Kids are inquisitive, and will always want to play with things that they shouldn’t. If they don’t have access to these dangerous items, then their risk of getting hurt decreases.
Cook with care
Always use the back burners on the hob, so children can’t pull hot pans onto themselves, and never leave the oven door open – children don’t know when things are hot.
Plan an escape route
Try creating a game for children to remember and learn the quickest way out of your home in the event of a fire. Remember to teach your family more than one way out of the house, just in case one exit is blocked.
Move your straighteners
Hair straighteners and curling irons will stay extremely hot for up to 15 minutes after they’ve been turned off. Make sure they are out of the reach of children.
Use a fireguard
Open fires are much less common than they used to be, but they still present a huge risk to children who can easily trip and fall into the fire if they are running around. A simple fireguard can stop children from being seriously injured.
