Protect Children from Burn Injuries by Avoiding Gas Fires

Around holidays like Memorial Day, many families like to gather around the grill. Don't use gasoline on a fire. Help ensure that your family bonding time doesn't become an accident scene, Prince William County Fire and Rescue said in a recent prepared statement.

"Good parents don't use gas to start fires. People who mix gas and fire are fooling themselves if they think that's a normal behavior," Bob Wall, Public Safety Education Coordinator for PWC Fire and Rescue, said. "It's especially worrisome during the summer, when families are more likely to be lighting barbecues and campfires."

Wall referenced a national survey that said that while most parents don't mix gasoline and fire, those who do use gas to start a fire think that it's normal.

About 1500 children a year are injured or killed in gasoline fires each year, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

"Approximately 14,500 Americans die each year from burn injuries and related infections," the statement read.

"Our research shows that parents know that gasoline is extremely flammable and that mixing gas and fire is not safe. But for some people, outdated habits die hard," said Amanda Emerson of the National Gasoline Safety Project. "Parents also know that kids learn by example. But parents who use gas to start a fire may not be thinking about the fact that they are teaching that dangerous behavior to their children."

To learn more about the National Gasoline Safety Project, visit StopGasFires.org.