A two-year-old boy is fighting for his life in hospital after he was severely burnt in a horrific house fire believed to be sparked by the family’s tumble-dryer.
Elijah Whitton was airlifted 566km to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne after a blaze destroyed his family home on the border of Victoria and NSW.
Emergency services were called to the Ruby street property in Wentworth at 3:22pm on May 1 after a fire engulfed the home.
His big sister Alyia Whitton said Elijah’s left leg was still on fire when her mother pulled the trapped toddler out of the house.
Elijah was trying to make his way out of the fire, when our mother pulled him further away from the fire,’ Ms Whitton told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Elijah’s left leg was still in flames when my mum put his leg out with water nearby.’
Surgeons placed the two-year-old in an induced coma and rushed him into wound debridement surgery – a procedure that removes dead skin from burn areas.
Elijah has since undergone several surgeries to stabilise him after he sustained third-degree burns to 42 per cent of his body.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire but believe the family’s tumble-dryer malfunctioned causing an explosion, with a nearby jerry-can full of petrol igniting and escalating the fire.
Ms Whitton said her younger brother Jacob Alassani, 12, who was at home during the incident, heard the explosion and alerted their mum.
‘He instantly understood the severity of the house fire and went outside and took the safety precautions of turning the electricity off,’ Ms Whitton said.
Elijah was trying to make his way out of the fire, when our mother pulled him further away from the fire,’ Ms Whitton told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Elijah’s left leg was still in flames when my mum put his leg out with water nearby.’
Surgeons placed the two-year-old in an induced coma and rushed him into wound debridement surgery – a procedure that removes dead skin from burn areas.
Elijah has since undergone several surgeries to stabilise him after he sustained third-degree burns to 42 per cent of his body.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire but believe the family’s tumble-dryer malfunctioned causing an explosion, with a nearby jerry-can full of petrol igniting and escalating the fire.
Ms Whitton said her younger brother Jacob Alassani, 12, who was at home during the incident, heard the explosion and alerted their mum.
‘He instantly understood the severity of the house fire and went outside and took the safety precautions of turning the electricity off,’ Ms Whitton said.
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