SACRAMENTO, Calif. --
Kids have always been curious about fire.
But Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters said teenagers are now setting fire to themselves and to property in stunts inspired by Internet videos.
On Web sites such as YouTube, KCRA 3 found videos of teens creating flame-throwers out of Super Soaker-style water guns filled with gasoline.
Other videos show teens setting fire to their own clothes and even shooting Roman candle fireworks at each other.
In the videos, the teens giggle and laugh. But to Michelle Cummings of the fire district, it is no laughing matter.
Cummings said in many cases the person setting the blaze often isn't the person who is going to be burned or hurt.
That is what happened in the case of 15-year-old Kevin Stroughter. The San Juan High School freshman was 8 years old when he was badly burned. He said some neighbor kids were playing with gasoline and the flames blew toward him.
Stroughter said it was windy that day the flames came in his direction. He said he blacked out. When he opened his eyes, he was on the ground. He tried to roll to put out the fire, but it did not work.
Stroughter suffered burns to more than 80 percent of his body.
Dr. David Greenhalgh, who treated Kevin at Shriners Hospital, said it's impossible to overstate the dangers of playing with fire.
Greenhalgh said flames can cause serious damage very quickly. He said one mistake can lead to death.
He adds that most young fire starters are male, saying that fire seems to be a part of boy culture.
Fire agencies in the Sacramento area have joined forces to create the Sacramento Valley Juvenile Firesetter Program.
Its stated mission is to help juvenile fire setters and their families receive the help they need through education, diversion, assessment and psychological services.
KCRA 3 witnessed a recent session of the Juvenile Firesetter Program. The class consisted of five boys and one girl. All six were referred to the program because they were caught setting fires.
One teen explained that he and his friends were at a school. They lit tennis balls on fire and threw them at each other.
Cummings told those attending the class that they need to be able to recognize what poor behavior and poor choices are.
Cummings said such behavior is a slippery slope, adding that fascination with fire can lead to dangerous -- even deadly -- consequences.
She said once the novelty of matchers and lighters wear off, some youths move on to riskier activities involving fire.
Stroughter said he is living proof of the dangers of playing with fire -- and how anything can happen.
Resources For Parents
Warning signs that your child may be playing with fire:
- Collections of matches, lighters or other fire tools
- Aerosol cans that don't belong in a bedroom
- Aerosol cans missing from other parts of the house
- Gasoline or kerosene that wasn't purchased by an adult
- Questions from child about what items are flammable
- Clothes that smell like gasoline or fire
