1-year-old suffers severe burns in Tarrant County hazmat incident; firefighter also hospitalized, authorities say
A hazmat emergency in southern Tarrant County sent a 1‑year‑old to the hospital by air and injured several others, including a firefighter, Thursday evening after officials said they were exposed to sulfuric acid.
Emergency crews responded around 6 p.m. to a hazmat incident with burn victims in the 5100 block of Wilson Road in an unincorporated area near Everman, according to Everman Emergency Services.
Firefighters found two patients outside and were told a third victim, a 1-year-old child, was still inside the residence, officials said. Crews entered the home, removed the child, and began advanced life support.
The 1-year-old was flown to Parkland Hospital with serious injuries, according to authorities.
Two additional patients were treated on scene for minor injuries. One firefighter was transported to JPS Fort Worth after exposure to an unknown chemical and is in stable condition, officials said.
The Everman Fire Department told CBS News Texas that the 1-year-old got into a cabinet containing sulfuric acid. At some point, the toddler got the acid on themself, causing severe burns.
Everman Fire Chief Landon Whatley warned of the dangers of toxic chemicals being kept inside homes.
"The main thing is, A: you gotta [sic] know where your kiddos are at all times. You gotta keep an eye on them. You gotta keep everything locked up. If there are any chemicals in your home, you gotta make sure those are out of reach of kids that don't know any better. Because then accidents do happen, and it takes one second of you taking your eye off a kiddo for them to get into something that can potentially harm or kill them," Whatley said.
The condition of the 1-year-old is unknown at this time. The two adults and the firefighter who were exposed to the fumes are expected to be okay, officials said.
