Girl, 7, Suffers Severe Burns

A 7-year-old Spokane girl who was playing with matches in her back yard suffered burns over nearly 70 percent of her body when her clothes caught fire Monday.

The girl, whose name was not released by authorities, was in critical condition late Monday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Emergency crews arrived about 11:45 a.m. at 3817 E. Fourth, said Joe Stapleton, a Spokane Fire Department battalion chief.

The girl’s mother helped douse the flames by wrapping her in a blanket, Stapleton said, adding the girl’s uncle threw a pail of water over her.

She was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center, then flown to Harborview.