1/29/2008

A 6-year-old girl was severely burned early this afternoon in an apartment at Harriet Tubman Development.  The girl, identified as Dynasty Nicole McMillian, was reportedly attempting to cook something on an electric stove just before 1:00 p.m., when her clothes somehow caught on fire.  The girl panicked and ran out the back door, and then reportedly ran around the apartment building with her clothes still on fire, to a neighbor's apartment.  The neighbor helped put the fire out and removed the burning clothes from the girl's body while someone called 911.

Chattanooga firefighters arrived moments later, but there was no fire to put out in the kitchen.  The only thing that caught fire was the girl's clothes.  Paramedics with Hamilton County EMS rushed Dynasty to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital, where she was being treated for 2nd and 3rd degree burns to approximately 40% of her body.  Shortly after assessing her condition, the doctors decided to have Dynasty flown to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia.  At the time of this release, she was being prepared for the trip.

Fire investigators are trying to determine the circumstances that led to this tragedy.  There were three other younger children in the apartment at the time, as well as an elderly adult male.  Chattanooga police are conducting their own investigation, with the assistance of the Chattanooga Housing Authority.

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