The country’s fire brigade warns people to take safety seriously around the bonfires after two young children were taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries in an explosion in the courtyard of the fire. behind.
Key points:
- Two young children were taken to hospital after a fire in the backyard
- The Country Fire Authority also urged people to check the heating services of their home
- The CFA sees an increase in calls for home fires in early winter
Emergency services discovered an aerosol can had been accidentally placed in the backyard fire, causing an explosion on Three-Chain Road in Lancefield shortly before 5 p.m., June 3. .
Three CFA crews, police and paramedics rushed to the scene and one of the children was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital, while the other was taken by ambulance.
Both children suffered upper body injuries and one remains in hospital.
The children were taken to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. (ABC News: Darryl Torpy)
Home fire safety
Rohan Porter is CFA’s community safety coordinator for the Northwest Region and said that every year they saw an increase in home fires in the early winter.
“We have a myriad of different calls when it starts to get cold,” he said.
“We have a lot of things ranging from people who haven’t serviced their central heating by ducts and there’s a build-up of gas to people who may not have serviced a chimney.”
Porter said as outdoor bonfires grew in popularity, more people had found themselves in trouble.
“For some reason, a lot of people don’t treat them with the same respect that you would with a normal open fire,” he said.
“If you have an open fire, make sure you have all the pieces around like a grate.
“The fire will burn you and hurt you. Make sure you keep your children at a safe distance and that they are under supervision.”
The Country Fire Authority is urging people to take care of the backyard fires. (AAP: Julian Smith)
What to do in case of fire
Porter said the key to outdoor fire safety was to make sure there was static water nearby and that the area was free of flammable waste.
“Just because it’s a little cold and humid doesn’t mean things don’t turn on,” he said.
“Also, don’t use things like gasoline to light a fire, keep aerosol cans and anything that is normally flammable or potentially explosive away from fire.”
And in case of emergency, seek medical help.
“If you get burned or something, definitely call the triple 0,” Porter said.
“Burns are a serious issue, especially for children.
“The sooner they are seen by a medical professional, the more chances of recovery.”
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Posted 16 hours ago 16 hours ago Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 2:39 AM, updated 13 hours ago Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 5:23 AM