Some Halloween Costumes May Pose Fire Risks

Children all over New England will suit up and head out trick-or-treating Tuesday night. NewsCenter 5's Kelley Tuthill reported that whether or not kids have a safe night hinges on something most parents take for granted -- but shouldn't. "It caught on fire," Zoe said. "Zoe was absolutely a little ball of fire," parent Joella Smyth said. Smyth thought her daughter would be cute in a little mermaid costume, but the Indiana girl passed too close to a lighted jack-o-lantern and suffered third-degree burns. "It was like fire all around me," Zoe said. "The costume burned into her side," Smyth said. The incident prompted NewsCenter to head to a local chain store to buy several Halloween costumes. NewsCenter 5 brought them to Salem Fire Inspector Chuck Holloran, who agreed to help safely put them to the test. The state fire marshal recommends you buy costumes labeled flame retardant. But frankly, those seem hard to find. NewsCenter 5 could only find ones with a label that read, "Keep away from flame." Lovable Elmo came with no labels about flammability, and most of the costume did resist the flame. Under federal law costumes, like all clothing, are supposed resist flames. Sleepwear is held to an even higher standard. NewsCenter 5 checked the tulle around a mermaid costume and found it was flame resistant, but the sleeve was not. Firefighters suggest kids wear tight-fitting costumes and be careful with anything that dangles, such as ropes, tails and capes. Be careful with homemade costumes. A Maine man suffered burns all over his body after a sheep costume ignited. "Monitor the children very closely and watch when your kids walk up to houses. Before you go out, practice stop, drop and roll. If anything does happen, the quicker you stop it from igniting is critical," Holloran said. Holloran also suggested that homeowners minimize the danger by using small flashlights in pumpkins instead of candles.