A teenager is being treated for severe burns at hospital after his younger brother accidentally set him on fire while playing with alcohol and matches, Orange County firefighters said.
The incident happened at the boys' grandparents home Friday evening.
Chancia Cruz thought her neighbor’s grandchildren were just playing around when the two boys ran out of the house screaming just after 7 p.m.
“The big brother turned around and said, 'I’m burning,' and that’s when we knew that it was serious,” said Cruz. “Just raw skin, not what I expected to see when he turned around.”
Cruz called 911 and neighbors jumped into action.
“We did what we knew, which was use water, and put towels on him and just calm him down because he would have gone into shock,” Cruz said.
Police said the boys were home and the younger child, believed to be 9 or 10 years old, was being watched by his 14-year-old brother.
“The little one was playing with alcohol and matches, and it just made it combust and it hit the big brother because he was trying to blow it out,” Cruz said.
Concerned residents watched while Ocoee Fire Rescue and police worked the scene and rushed the teenager to Arnold Palmer Hospital.
“I am so relieved that he’s going to be OK, that he’s in good hands,” Cruz said. “That he’s at the hospital and he’s going to be taken care of.”
