Local hospital urges families to be careful around fireplaces this holiday season after uptick in injuries

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - As the temperature drops this holiday season, Children’s National Hospital is urging families to be careful around the fire. It’s because even though we haven’t even hit December yet, they’ve already seen a major increase in fireplace injuries.

“We’ve seen certainly many more pediatric contact burns this November than we did at the same time compared to last year,” said Children’s Trauma and Burn Coordinator Elizabeth Waibel.

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Altogether, officials said there’s been a 400 percent increase this month in the number of kids who’ve been burned from touching the glass on gas fireplaces. Waibel said there’s no one reason for the uptick.

A man and woman sitting of sofa in front of lit fire. (Photo by: Jumping Rocks/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

To prevent injuries, Children’s recommends creating a “kid-free zone” about three feet away from the fireplace, using a fireplace safety screen to protect small hands, never leaving a fire unattended, and they also recommend keeping fireplace tools, lighters, and matches out of reach.

“It’s a wonderful time but it’s also a stressful time, and so really we just need to make sure families are aware of potential hazards in the house,” Waibel said.

She added that there are many other ways kids can be burned over the holidays, saying the most common burns they see at Children’s are kids under the age of two who’ve been scalded by hot liquids.

For more information about burn prevention, you can click here.