CARIBOU, Maine — A local girl burned over the weekend when her clothes caught fire has been transferred to Shriners Hospital in Boston as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues, Tim Lowell, investigator with the state fire marshal’s office, said Tuesday afternoon.
The youngster is identified as Jasmine Long, 8, who was living with her father, Scott Long, 39, on the second floor of 15 Prospect St. in Caribou, Lowell said.
The elder Long was awoken Sunday morning at their residence by his daughter screaming and when he went to her he found the T-shirt and sweatshirt she was wearing on fire, Lowell said.
The incident occurred between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Lowell said.
Jasmine Long was taken by ambulance to Cary Medical Center in Caribou and then flown later Sunday to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
On Monday Long was transferred to the Boston hospital for continued treatment of second degree burns to her torso and arms, Lowell said.
Also in the house at the time of the accident were Jasmine Long’s 11-year-old brother and Scott Long’s girlfriend Miranda Mancos, no age given.
On Tuesday, Steve Austin, principal at Teague Park Elementary School where Jasmine Long attends third grade, met with staff to brief them on the incident, according to Frank McElwain, superintendent of RSU 39.
“We wanted to make sure [the staff] had clear information on what happened,” McElwain said. “We asked staff to be sensitive to student concerns and if the students had any questions or needed to talk to go to the guidance office.”
No charges are anticipated in the case, which remains under investigation by Lowell and Caribou Police Department officer Mark Gahagan, according to Lowell.
There were not working smoke detectors in the residence at the time of the fire, the fire investigator said.
Praying so much for a speedy recovery….please, everybody; don’t be too quick to judge. You weren’t there.
I hope this child recovers and I am sorry this little girl is suffering and most likely will be for a long time to come. Maybe when your kids get up in the morning an adult should also. It only takes a second for a child to get into serious trouble as past incidents have proven to be even more deadly. Not saying being up would have avoided this but every second counts in the life of a child. This makes me remember a few years back when a Fort Fairfield toddler drowned in the Aroostook River while her mother went to the bathroom and she slid out the unlocked door. As adults it is each of our responsibility to try to keep our children and others safe from harm whether a total stranger or someone we are familiar with. I remember an incident in my own back yard years ago where we found an unknown 15 month toddler in soaking diaper by our swimming pool after she slid under two fences. When reported to police it took many more hours before her mother even went looking and reported her missing, this could have been so tragic. I believe we each have a responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and be a hero not part of the problem. Best wished to all involved.
I have to agree. So many of these tragedies have information indicating that the adult in the home was still sleeping when the youngsters are getting up. It only takes a second for something to happen. You can’t protect them every minute of every day but prevention is the best plan. I am sorry that this little girl is going through this, burns are so horrific to heal from. Not to mention the father and others.
I am an exhausted hover-parent, but I do have a few points to make.
a) Sometimes kids wake up and the parents don’t know the child is awake. It’s not like you can set the alarm for a specific time. Once the kids are no longer infants/toddlers, they can get out of bed on their own. It’s not really fair to keep kids in a crib until they are 18 years old.
b) Nobody can stay awake 24/7. Sorry, not possible.
c) Parents get to use the potty, too. It’s only fair.
d) Sometimes tragic accidents happen.
e) Stop blaming the parents for everything! You have no idea if this tragedy was the result of negligence.
I am the first to admit that I have high expectations of parents, particularly myself and my spouse, possibly to the point of impeding our children’s independence because we are so strict and watch them extremely closely at all times. We have never hired a babysitter. We check on the kids multiple times every night as they sleep. Still, please, let’s keep the expectations reasonable. Sleeping, eating and toileting are things parents pretty much have to do – stop trying to turn that into some kind of judgement on their parenting skills.
how did it happen
Is “awoken” a word? A shame that journalists do not check spelling, etc.
Pretty bad when people have nothing better to do than comment on spelling errors…which by the way maybe you need to invest in a dictionary since page 98 of the New World Dictionary does in fact include the word “awoken”! How about a heartfelt comment about the little girl and how serious her burns are instead of trying to tear down the journalist???
Thank you!
Awoken is a word — it is a verb and the past participle of awaken …. good reference is dictionary.com
Yessiree sir its a word. Odd to the ear but its a go. And so is yessiree a word, how about that.
Really!? Are you the grammar police?
My heart goes out to her.
My daughter had to spend some time in the shriners hospital when she was 3, from second degree burns to her face…..
I wish her a speedy recovery.
I hope this girl makes a full recovery!