Singapore—A fourteen-year-old boy sustained burns on his abdomen and arms after he and two other secondary school students played with fire and a butane gas canister at a HDB block in Sembawang.
At around 8.45 on Sunday night (Dec 27), the boys set a gas canister on fire on the staircase landing on the third floor of the building, which resulted in the clothes of the 14-year-old catching fire as well, reported Lianhe Wanbao.
The boy is said to have suffered second-degree burns.
The Chinese news portal reported that the victim got injured when one of the youths lit a lighter while the 14-year-old boy released gas from the canister of butane.
Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to take his shirt off at once, seeing it had caught fire. One of the other boys attempted to snuff the flames out with water from a 1.5 litre bottle.
However, that short amount of time that the shirt was aflame was enough for the victim to suffer from burns.
The boy also ran home immediately to jump into the shower, one of his family’s neighbors told Lianhe Wanbao. But when his family had seen the burns on his abdomen and arms, an ambulance was called.
He was brought to the ambulance with his torso and arms wrapped in gauze, another neighbour told the Chinese daily.
The boy was then brought to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, AsiaOne reported the Singapore Civil Defence Force as saying.
The incident is now under investigation, with the two other boys, aged 14 and 15, assisting the police. The police had received a report of reckless behavior caused by the use of dangerous and harmful objects on Sunday night.
The family told Lianhe Wanbao, however, that “Everything is fine” with the boy.
—/TISG
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