2 Boys Injured when Campfire Doused with Gasoline Expected to Recover

Two boys who were hospitalized from burns at a weekend campfire in Bel Air are expected to make full recoveries, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said Monday.

During a party Saturday night in the 1300 block of Gunston Drive, a 12-year-old boy poured gasoline on an outdoor campfire at 7:43 p.m. when the parent who was supervising the event stepped inside, according to Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.

Approximately 1,500 children are injured or killed each year in fires where gasoline is involved, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which encouraged Marylanders never to use gasoline to accelerate or start a campfire.

Once the gasoline hit the flames, a flash fire erupted, injuring the 12-year-old and an 11-year-old boy, the fire marshal's report stated.

The Bel Air Fire Volunteer Company responded and provided medical treatment at the scene for both boys, who were taken to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center—the 12-year-old by helicopter and the 11-year-old by ambulance—the fire marshal said.

Both victims were expected to make full recoveries and be released from the hospital soon, according to the fire marshal.

"No malicious intent was identified at the conclusion of the investigation and no charges will be filed," the fire marshal's office reported Monday.