VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Four children were hurt Wednesday night after a fire spread from a fire pit into a yard, according to the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
Units responded to the 7500 block of Atlantic Avenue at 10:12 p.m. and found a fire spreading out of a fire pit and into the yard, VBFD said. The fire did not reach any other structures.
Virginia Beach mom Eris Harmonia described the frightening moments that followed the fire pit explosion. She says around 16 children were present when the incident took place.
"We're just getting everything together, and then before you know it — just boom. And screaming," Harmonia said.
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Investigators determined the fire was accidental, VBFD says the children were cooking hot dogs over the fire pit and accidentally tossed a small container of accelerant, which was thought to be water, on the fire.
A 17-year-old, a 16-year-old, and 5-year-old twins were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment, according to VBFD. Harmonia told News 3 that some of the children received first-degree burns, while others suffered third-degree burns.
"It's first-degree burns for some. It's just — they just had to clean them and put bandages on, and then everybody was released last night, but there's two that have third-degree burns. That's going to be a journey for them. But everyone is alive and will recover," Harmonia said.
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Regarding the accelerant that was put onto the fire, Harmonia said she thinks it was a result of one of the children's actions, adding that she doesn't keep accelerant at her home.
"It was somebody that was underage who thought that they were helping. But I do not do my own yard work. I do not have any accelerators or anything that could be used, so it was very confusing to the fire department and myself, but it came from the outside in a beach bucket. Somebody put accelerator in a child's beach bucket," Harmonia said.
With so many people getting ready to grill this holiday weekend, Harmonia is encouraging everyone to be prepared. Harmonia said she had taken deliberate safety precautions before setting up the fire pit, including moving her vehicles and keeping the pit away from the house. She encourages all parents to go over fire safety drills with their kids.
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"Just make sure that that everybody knows how to put out a fire. Everybody knows stop, drop and roll. I was shocked that the two older children didn't know stop, drop and roll. They were running with their clothes on fire," Harmonia said.
VBFD reminds people to keep flammable liquids, lighters, and combustible materials away from any open flame, children or pets.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) cautioned fire safety earlier this week amid drought conditions in Virginia.
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