Scott D. PierceA 7-year-old Utah boy died from burns he suffered when he and a friend were playing with matches.
According to Salt Lake City police, the 7-year-old and his 9-year old friend were lighting matches and using an accelerant in an alley near Gillespie Avenue and Navajo Street, in the city’s Poplar Grove neighborhood, shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday. The 7-year-old boy’s clothes ignited. A neighbor extinguished the flames with a blanket, but the boy was burned over a large part of his body.
The 9-year-old was not injured.
Police are continuing to investigate the boy’s death, which they called a “tragic accident.”
