A 15-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after setting himself on fire in a field in Darlington. The incident occurred near the White Horse Pub in Harrowgate Hill on Monday afternoon.
Emergency response
Police, paramedics, and air ambulance crews were called to the scene just after 5pm. Durham Constabulary said the boy is believed to have been using petrol when it was accidentally set alight. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for treatment, where he remains in a stable condition.
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) reported that the boy suffered burns to his lower body. They dispatched an ambulance crew and the air ambulance, who treated the patient before airlifting him to hospital.
Police statement
In a statement, Durham Constabulary said: "Police were called just after 5.05pm yesterday (August 3) following reports that a teenage boy had suffered burns in Darlington. The incident is thought to have happened in a field near the White Horse Pub, in Harrowgate Hill."
The statement continued: "A 15-year-old boy is believed to have been using petrol when it was accidentally set alight. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, for treatment where he remains today in a stable condition."
The incident is being treated as a "tragic accident" and is not currently considered criminal.
Air ambulance details
The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) critical care team was activated at 5.04pm. A spokesperson said: "We had a paramedic and doctor on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 5.11pm. Our team worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service to assess and treat a patient and airlifted them to hospital."
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service was not involved in the incident.
