2 children seriously burned at Jackson Co. summer camp

June 15, 2016

MARIANNA, Fla. (WCTV) -- Two children are recovering after being seriously burned in an accident at a summer camp in Jackson County.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, authorities received a 911 call reporting two small children that were injured in a fire.

Fire rescue, EMS units, and law enforcement responded to the call at the West Florida District Assembly of God campground on Highway 90, east of Marianna.

According to JCSO, two children under the age of 12 were seriously burned and were taken by helicopter to a Tallahassee area hospital. Both children were later transferred to Shands Hospital in Gainesville. The burns covered a large portion of both children's bodies.

The State Fire Marshal's Office, assisted by JCSO, immediately began investigating the case.

A preliminary investigation revealed that a group of children were attending a week long summer camp and were assembled for a demonstration inside of one of the buildings.

During the assembly, a small fire was ignited to demonstrate part of a lesson. Officials say a flammable liquid used to start the fire was accidentally ignited, causing a flash fire which engulfed two of the children. The fire was immediately extinguished using fire extinguishers and articles of clothing.

The Fire Marshal's Office is continuing the fire investigation to determine the cause of the accidental ignition of the flammable liquid.

Assisting during this incident were Marianna Fire Rescue, Jackson County Fire Rescue, Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Officers along with the and Fire Marshals Office and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office says due to the quick response of the campground staff, an even more serious catastrophe was averted.