A YOUNG boy is being treated for serious facial burns after throwing petrol on to a bonfire.

The 14-year-old from Ferndown had been helping his parents clear Leylandii - a fast growing tree - from the garden, but it was too fresh to burn quickly and it is thought he added petrol to the flames to accelerate the burning.

Firefighters believe fumes from the petrol may have provided an invisible path for the flames to follow, catching the teenager unawares.

Steve Shuck, area commander at Dorset Fire and Rescue, said: "This could have been a tragedy.

"This 14-year-old boy has been burnt and could have to live with it for the rest of his life.

"His summer holidays will have been ruined by this.

"If you start pouring petrol on a bonfire you're asking for trouble.

"I would advise people that find themselves in a similar situation to leave the branches in a stack for a week until they become more brittle and brown so they burn easier.

"Then light them with a bit of paper in a controlled area - not in the wind and make sure there is a hose laid out just in case.

"There are special skips for disposing of garden waste and everyone says we should recycle now."

And he advised that the same risks apply when exposing some glues to a naked flame. He added: "People need to realise that it's not just the liquid that is highly flammable - it's the fumes too."

Firefighters from Redhill were called to the incident at around 2.45pm on Wednesday, August 31.

The youngster was taken to a specialist burns unit at Salisbury Hospital with what ambulance staff described as "serious burns to his face".

First published: September 2, 2005