10-year-old girl burned by fire pit at Newport Dunes is ‘doing remarkably well,’ family and fire officials say

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

May 21, 2018 12 PM PT

A 10-year-old girl who was hospitalized with burns after she fell onto a fire pit in Newport Beach on Saturday is “doing remarkably well,” according to fire officials and her family.

Charlotte Chapin of Mission Viejo was at a father-daughter campout at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort just before 10 a.m. when she fell onto the rim of a steel fire pit. Fathers attending the YMCA-sponsored camp quickly pulled her off, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

It isn’t clear how Charlotte fell.

Off-duty OCFA firefighter Mike Heddleston, who was at the beach camping with his daughter, immediately treated Charlotte’s burns with cool water, officials said. She suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns over 10% of her body, including her hip and rib areas and both wrists. Her hair was singed as well, authorities said.

“Orange County Fire Authority is extremely proud of Mike’s actions. Even though he was off duty he immediately started helping this little girl,” OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said Monday. “He remained calm and he was able to get some clean bottled water and cool all the burns.”

Newport Beach firefighters and paramedics also treated her at the scene before she was taken to the burn center at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, where she stayed overnight, fire officials said.

OCFA posted photos on social media Saturday night showing Charlotte lying in a hospital bed smiling with her stuffed dog “Pups” beside her.

She was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon but will return Thursday for further treatment, Concialdi said.

Representatives of Newport Dunes and YMCA of Orange County could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

“Fire pits are very common at a lot of beaches and they provide a lot of joy for many people,” Concialdi said. “We just have to remember that fire and anything steel can be extremely hot and to keep a safe distance at all times because accidents can happen.”