By
James Nye
17:53 EST, 30 June 2012
|
18:07 EST, 30 June 2012
A nine-year-old girl from Washington state is in a critical condition with second degree burns across 75-percent of her body after her nightgown went up in flames.
Little Addie Perrenoud was at home in her bathroom when she struck a match to light a candle and her nightgown ignited, in an accident possibly caused by the liquid fabric softener her mother used in the home laundry.
‘From the time the girl’s mother heard her daughter starting to scream until mom had the fire out was probably less than a minute,’ said Clark County Assistant Fire Marshall Richard Martin.
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Addie Perrenoud is transported by air-ambulance crews to the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland
Rushing to her daughters aid ata round 9.20 a.m., Kelly Perrenoud, 32, began ‘tackling her to the floor and rolling her on the floor to get the flames out,’ said Martin to ABC News.
Flown by emergency helicopter to the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland, the girl has remained in a critical condition since the accident on Wednesday.
The girl’s burns were the worst on her torso, arms, back and hands; fortunately, her face was not as badly burned.
Her mother was also treated for burns but released the same day.
Initially, emergency crews suspected that an accelerant such as alcohol or an aerosol can had caused the fire to start much faster than normally anticipated.
The Perrenoud family residence where Addie set herself on fire by accident with a match in her bathroom trying to light a candle
However, Martin disagreed, saying that a combination of fabric softener and and a flammable fabric were the reason behind the fire engulfing the girl as quickly as it did.
‘If that’s the favourite nightgown, it’s going to get washed a whole lot,’ said Martin.
‘As it wears, those fabrics break down and create more surface area to be exposed to the flame…that fuzziness is what contributes to flammability.’
The fire chief said that warnings on Downy fabric softener labels do say that the product may degrade the flame resistant properties of some materials.
The Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland where Addie is currently in a critical condition suffering from 75 percent burns
The Department of Health and Human Services Household Products database has said that fabrics such as fleece and terry cloth are more easily flammable than others.
A spokesman for Proctor and Gamble, which owns Downy, was unavailable for comment on Saturday to ABC News.
The fire chief was not pointing any fingers though.
‘If she had not used fabric softener ever on that clothing, would it have made a difference?’ said Martin.
‘I can’t answer that 100 percent.
‘But it makes the fabric fluffier, which exposes more surface area to the flame.
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My earlier comment did not appear….. Is the report incorrect as to the time or did this accident occur at 9.29 AM. Why did the child need to light a candle during daylight hours? I hope the child recovers quickly.
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Never heard this could happen with Downy, but I have heard clothes made with textiles out of the country are flammable.
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Poor child. I hope she makes a full recovery. I NEVER use fabric softener or dryer sheets. My son did a Science Fair experiment on how both products make fabrics MORE flammable. He tested about 15 fabrics including natural and synthetic fibers as well as infant/children clothing. Every item ignited and burned much faster than the identical items laundered without fabric softeners. These products can also cause headaches and allergy symptoms. Do yourself and your family a favor and stop using chemical fabric softeners.
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Lighting a candle? Who lights candles these days? Birthday parties and religious ceremonies only, surely? Which was it?
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This tragedy might well have been avoided if she’d stubbed her toe.
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sharon, longfield, You don’t let your 12 year old light matches? Boy, I feel sorry for him. Time to cut the apron strings, and let the boy grow up.
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Very tragic. I don’t want additives in my laundry. I use the extra rinse cycle to rinse all the chemicals out.
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Hang on, the main headline (before you actually get to this article) shows a bottle of Downey, yet the Fire Chief is quoted as”not pointing any fingers” and also says it may be that no fabric condition was used on the clothing. Scaremongering journalism, but what’s new?
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Tragic accident, hope she makes a full recovery.
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Poor girl, I hope she makes a full recovery with no scarring. It is not possible to supervise children 100 percent of the time, expecially in their own home. No-one follows their children about everywhere they go in the house, especially when they are older, and accidents do happen, even if you are really careful. There but for the grace of God……………………………..
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