Boy Handling Gas Is Badly Burned

A 1 1/2-year-old boy was in serious condition Saturday night after getting wet with gasoline and catching fire when his father lit a match in his family’s garage, authorities said.

The boy suffered second- and third-degree burns over 25% of his body, said Bob Collis, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The accident occurred about 4:30 p.m. while the boy was in the garage with his father at their house in the 8200 block of Kyle Street, authorities said.

The father was trying to dispose of some gas by burning it in small amounts in a dish, Collis said. The boy was carrying the container at some point and got some of the gas on his clothes.

Collis said that when the father struck a match, the boy was burned in a flash.

Paramedics drove the boy to nearby Verdugo Hills High School, where a Fire Department helicopter landed and took him to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.