Mother of boy says two other children burned by accident while playing with gas

LA RONGE, Sask. – The mother of a young boy involved in an incident in a northern Saskatchewan community where two other children were burned says the whole thing was an accident.

The woman tells CTV Saskatoon the children were playing with gas, pouring it and trying to light it when the gas burst into flames early Sunday near La Ronge.

An eight-year-old boy suffered burns to his face and his 11-year-old sister received minor burns and singed hair.

The eight-year-old was airlifted to hospital in Saskatoon while his sister was taken to hospital in La Ronge. Both have since been released.

The mother of the third child says her son’s eyelashes and eyebrows were burned, and he helped put out the fires on the other two children.

The woman can’t be named because she says her son is now in the care of social services.

There have been suggestions the boy’s actions were deliberate. On Tuesday, a woman who had called 911 when she saw the injured children on the street said the two burned children blamed the third child.

She said the third child ran away when she said she was calling police.

RCMP say no charges can be laid in the case because all the children involved are under 12 years of age.

La Ronge is about 380 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

(CTV Saskatoon)