My son! He’s on fire!
Horror at school nativity play as boy aged eight is set alight when shepherd drops candle on his sheep costume
A SCHOOL nativity play descended into horror when an eight-year-old boy was set on fire.
Shocked parents watched as a candle slipped out of a child’s hand and fell on to the boy, who was dressed as a sheep.
They told how the victim’s father jumped up and shouted, ‘ My son! My son! He’s on fire!’ as the flames quickly spread and his son was engulfed in seconds.
The Year 3 pupil, who was airlifted to hospital, suffered serious burns and was in a critical but stable condition yesterday.
A man and a woman, who are believed to have tried to help the child, were also injured and taken to hospital.
Last night, parents questioned the school’s health and safety policy after the children – some as young as seven – were allowed to hold naked flames on stage.
It comes five years after Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman’s daughter suffered severe burns when her Halloween costume caught fire. The TV presenter has since urged parents to be more vigilant about the potentially dangerous and flammable materials used in children’s fancy-dress costumes.
Students from St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School had been performing their nativity play in the Addiscombe Catholic Church in Croydon, south London, on Wednesday.
A mother in the audience said the incident happened just ten minutes into the performance as pupils sang on stage. She said they were all holding candles when a boy dressed as a shepherd dropped his.
The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘I don’t know exactly how it happened, maybe he tripped, but it went on to the boy in front of him wearing a sheep costume.
‘It was one of those cheap ones you get. I don’t think they’re very safe. It went up in flames. Everyone was panicking and the kids were all crying. No one really knew what to do, it was a shock.
‘I don’t know why they were all allowed to hold naked candles? They could have used batterypowered ones. It doesn’t make sense – was no one thinking about the health and safety?’ The school’s head, Noel Campbell, said: ‘Our whole school community is devastated by the incident that occurred at our carol service.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and his family at this difficult time. Following this incident our pupils, staff and families are being given support.’
The London Fire Brigade and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were informed after the incident. An investigation will now be opened into the incident by either HSE or Croydon council.
An HSE spokesman said: ‘HSE has been informed by the emergency services, who have led the initial response. We will liaise with the local authority to establish which agency is best placed to take this forward.’