MORGAN HILL
– Four boys were injured, one seriously, when a container of
white gas they were playing with exploded in the backyard of a
house on Foothill Court Thursday night.
MORGAN HILL – Four boys were injured, one seriously, when a container of white gas they were playing with exploded in the backyard of a house on Foothill Court Thursday night.
Sgt. Dave Myers of the Morgan Hill Police said the youths, all aged 12 to 13, were playing with a lighter when a one-gallon gas can caught fire and exploded.
One boy remains hospitalized in the burn unit at Valley Medical Center in San Jose with third-degree burns to his face and hands. He was listed in stable condition this morning.
Another boy, who suffered second-degree burns, was released Thursday night after treatment at VMC. He had burns to his lower leg and hands.
Two other boys, one with first-degree burns to his forearm and thigh, the other with first-degree burns to his hand and abdomen, were treated at Saint Louise Regional Hospital and released.
Burns are rated first- to third-degree, with third being the most serious.
The incident, which has been classified as arson, has been referred to the Santa Clara County Fire Department for further investigation.
Capt. Dennis Johnsen, the SCCFD arson and bomb investigator, said the boys were not trying to burn anything but were pouring gas on a flip-top light, trying to get it to light.
“The lighter sparked, jumped to the open gas can and ignited the fumes,” he said. Burning gas then sprayed the boys and caught their clothes on fire. One boy’s mother, who was in the house, ran outside when she heard the can explode and rolled the more seriously injured boy on the ground, putting out the fire. The other boys managed to pull off their burning clothes.
Johnsen said a neighbor, hearing the “boom,” jumped over the fence with a dry chemical fire extinguisher to extinguish the blaze.
“The gas can was only one-quarter full so there was a big space in the can for fumes,” Johnsen said.
White gas fumes catch fire at low temperatures, much lower than gasoline used in automobiles. He said the low temperatures Thursday night kept the fumes down; if the day had been hot, fumes would have expanded and been even more dangerous.
The boys, who were friends, Johnsen said, were having a sleepover. He said they are all homeschooled.
Johnsen said the incident was referred to as “arson” because the police department does not deal with explosive-type events.
“We work together,” he said.
Johnsen said the department will strongly suggest that the boys attend a two-day, six-hour class for children covering fire safety, self-esteem and other subjects but that the boys would not be cited.
Because the boys will not be charged, they cannot be forced to attend the fire-safety course, Johnsen said.
Foothill Court is a short cul-de-sac behind Community Park and the intersection of Spring and Del Monte avenues.
“White gas is very dangerous,” said Brad Darbro, battalion chief for the Santa Clara County Fire Department. “It’s very volatile and easily lit. Once it’s lit, it tends to flame.”
White gas, Darbro said, is frequently used by adults as a fuel in camping stoves and lanterns. As such, it is commonly found in garages and should be locked up so children cannot find and play with it.
Newer stoves and lanterns use small, enclosed propane tanks that will explode less easily and are less attractive to children with matches and lighters.
Darbro said the SCCFD has a Public Education Officer, Christy Moore, who visits schools, scouts and other groups and gives a presentation to children on the importance of fire safety.
Moore can be reached at county fire headquarters, 378-4010.
