Toddler burned when neighbors’ fireworks set her stroller on fire

A 15-month-old girl was seriously injured Tuesday night when fireworks shot off by neighbors across the street set the stroller she was in on fire, authorities said Wednesday.

Fireworks were being shot off shortly before 10 p.m. in the 200 block of West 82nd Street South when a “missile flew across the street and struck a stroller,” Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Lin Dehning said in a statement.

The stroller caught fire and the toddler suffered burns. Her father, mother and 5-year-old sister all received injuries “while they were trying to save the little girl from the burning stroller,” Dehning said.

Neighbors also responded by running across the street and pouring water on the toddler, he said.

The two children and their mother were all transported to a local hospital for treatment. The father refused transport, Dehning said.

The toddler is in fair condition at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis, said Roz Hutchinson, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

A Newton man suffered a traumatic injury to “an extremity” due to a fireworks incident, said Steve Roberson, fire/EMS chief for the city. The mishap occurred at about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Central, Roberson said.

Emergency radio traffic indicated the 47-year-old man “destroyed his hand with a firework.” He was taken to Via Christi Hospital St. Francis for treatment, where he was in serious condition on Wednesday.

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Toddler burned when neighbors’ fireworks set her stroller on fire."