We’ve always known that heaters are fire hazards, but we certainly wouldn’t have imagined this common household appliance to cause such a horrific accident.

One mum has issued an urgent warning to others after her toddler was set on fire by a gas heater. The poor boy was simply standing in front of the device for roughly half a minute when flames began spreading across the back of the two-year-old boy’s onesie.

As soon as his dad picked up the scent of a fire, he immediately extinguished the flames before they were able to burn his son’s delicate skin.

The little boy’s mum shared the chilling incident via the Tiny Hearts Education Instagram page this week to serve as a warning to parents and grandparents alike. She urged others to ensure that children are kept at least a metre away from gas heaters.

The mum warned others about gas heaters. Source: Quick Air​

‘My 2-year-old son was standing in front of the gas heater in his onesie. I was in the bathroom at the time,’ the mum recalled.

‘Thankfully, my husband was still home and quickly put the fire out. My son didn’t even feel that he was on fire until my husband smelled it… He saw the flame and quickly responded.’

‘My son was in front of the heater for less than 30 seconds before catching fire.’

The mum included an image of her son’s back, showing a massive hole that stretched from his lower back down to his upper thigh.

Tiny Hearts Education also urged families to get their gas heaters checked every two years, adding that guardians or parents should keep flammable materials away from their heater. They explained that clothing with ‘low fire danger’ is still flammable.

‘Always keep children away from open heat sources such as fireplaces and gas stoves.’ the post read.

Source: @tinyheartseducation​

Fellow parents expressed their gratitude for the warning in the post’s comments section.

‘Thank you so much for posting this. ️I love your work. I’m so glad things worked out for this family.’ one person wrote.

‘Holy cow. Imagine if the dad wasn’t close by… Good to know about flammables.’ another said.

‘That is so scary!’ a third added.

Fire guards are a must! Source: Home Improvement​

If you often have little grandkids over and you regularly use a heater, The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network has provided a list of reminders to keep them safe from incidents similar to this:

• If you don’t have one yet, buy a fire guard and ensure that it is fixed securely to prevent children from touching the fireplace or heater.
• Choose an electric heater with an automatic safety switch. This feature turns the heater off if it’s tipped over. Stay away from radiating heaters.
• Use space heaters cautiously and teach the little ones to stay away from them.
• Flues and chimneys should be cleaned regularly to prevent flammable material from accumulating. Make sure to check if the fireplace is functioning correctly.
• Keep electric and gas heaters far away from curtains, linen, and other flammable materials.

What are your thoughts on this terrifying story? Have you ever experienced a similar incident with a heater? Let us know in the comments!

Learn more safety tips when using heaters by watching the video below:

Source: Seattle Channel​

 

[Macarj]

Should have a fire guard in front of it the heat from that heater would be the same as a wood burning heater when or grand children are at our place the fire guard is always put in front of the fire

 

[JayKay]

As well as the fireguard, check the labels of the clothing for the class of flammability.....so many children's clothes are not made from natural fibres these days, so may be highly flammable.