Girl Burned When Fireworks in Her Pants Pockets Ignite

A 12-year-old girl suffered minor burns Wednesday when fireworks in her pants pockets ignited as she sat down on them in a movie theater lobby, fire officials said.

The Westminster girl, who was not identified because of her age, was treated at the scene for burns to the back of one leg and taken to a local hospital for brief observation before being released, Westminster Fire Capt. Robert Martin said.

“Apparently she sat down and somehow they ignited,” Martin said. “They started a small fire in her pants and caused first- and second-degree burns, which are fairly minor.”

The girl told firefighters she was carrying the fireworks in her rear pants pocket at a movie theater at the Westminster Mall. Just before 5 p.m., the fireworks, known as “poppers” went off as the girl sat down, Martin said.

Illegal in California, the fireworks contain a small amount of gunpowder and make a cracking sound when slapped against a hard surface.

The girl and her friends extinguished the fire by the time Martin arrived to treat her, he said.

“This doesn’t happen every day,” Martin said.

Martin said fire prevention investigators were looking into the incident.