Teen combustion a trend
Burn victim may have agreed to be set aflame
Chris Thompson, The Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
An incident in which a 14-year-old boy was badly burned at a London-area high school after being doused with Axe body spray and set alight, has uncovered a disturbing practice that police say is happening across the province and beyond.
On Tuesday the boy was outside of Glencoe District high school, southwest of London, at around 2 p.m. when he was doused with the spray and ignited with a lighter by another male student.
The boy suffered first, second and third-degree burns to his torso and was treated and released from hospital.
This YouTube video shows a disturbing practice that police say is happening across the province and beyond.
"This is a fairly common thing around the province," said Middlesex OPP Const. Doug Graham.
Graham said police were aware that body sprays, in particular Axe and Tag, were being used along with lighters to light objects on fire, but since Tuesday's incident police have learned that lighting people ablaze for a split second is a popular pastime among some teens.
"Now we have asked around the school about this and they said 'Yeah, we do this,'" said Graham.
Police believe they have identified the youth who used the lighter but the victim may actually have consented to be set alight.
"It certainly wasn't a case of bullying," said Graham.
"But under the law it doesn't matter if you agree to it or not. You can't just say to somebody 'Hurt me real bad.'"
Police have also learned that the website www.youtube.com has several videos of young boys lighting themselves on fire with the body spray for sport.
Some light their pants on fire while others bare their stomachs before squirting the spray and flicking a lighter.
The young people assume the spray ignites for a split second and there is no damage and little pain inflicted, but something went wrong with the trick near Glencoe on Tuesday.
Graham said authorities will be stepping up fire awareness efforts in high schools and parents will be encouraged to monitor their children's activities.
"It's certainly an issue we have to notify parents about," said Graham.
"We know parents are aware their children are taking the deodorant to school but they're not aware that they are setting each other on fire."
Thames Valley District School Board spokesman Chris Dennett did not return a call requesting comment.
Burn victim may have agreed to be set aflame
Chris Thompson, The Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
An incident in which a 14-year-old boy was badly burned at a London-area high school after being doused with Axe body spray and set alight, has uncovered a disturbing practice that police say is happening across the province and beyond.
On Tuesday the boy was outside of Glencoe District high school, southwest of London, at around 2 p.m. when he was doused with the spray and ignited with a lighter by another male student.
The boy suffered first, second and third-degree burns to his torso and was treated and released from hospital.
This YouTube video shows a disturbing practice that police say is happening across the province and beyond.
"This is a fairly common thing around the province," said Middlesex OPP Const. Doug Graham.
Graham said police were aware that body sprays, in particular Axe and Tag, were being used along with lighters to light objects on fire, but since Tuesday's incident police have learned that lighting people ablaze for a split second is a popular pastime among some teens.
"Now we have asked around the school about this and they said 'Yeah, we do this,'" said Graham.
Police believe they have identified the youth who used the lighter but the victim may actually have consented to be set alight.
"It certainly wasn't a case of bullying," said Graham.
"But under the law it doesn't matter if you agree to it or not. You can't just say to somebody 'Hurt me real bad.'"
Police have also learned that the website www.youtube.com has several videos of young boys lighting themselves on fire with the body spray for sport.
Some light their pants on fire while others bare their stomachs before squirting the spray and flicking a lighter.
The young people assume the spray ignites for a split second and there is no damage and little pain inflicted, but something went wrong with the trick near Glencoe on Tuesday.
Graham said authorities will be stepping up fire awareness efforts in high schools and parents will be encouraged to monitor their children's activities.
"It's certainly an issue we have to notify parents about," said Graham.
"We know parents are aware their children are taking the deodorant to school but they're not aware that they are setting each other on fire."
Thames Valley District School Board spokesman Chris Dennett did not return a call requesting comment.
