Whiteford Father Accused of Burning Children

A Whiteford man is facing child abuse charges after allegedly burning his children using a homemade torch fueled by an aerosol deodorant, Fox 45 news reports.

Steven Helgason, 44, of the 1500 block of Kerr Road in Whiteford, was arrested and charged Dec. 8 with four counts each of child abuse, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the incident, according to online court records. The incident allegedly occurred beween Nov. 13 and Nov. 19, court records show.

He is being held without bail at the Harford County Detention Center.

This is not the first time Helgason has faced a charge of child abuse. In 2006, a charge of second-degree child abuse was dismissed by the state in .

There also have been a series of protection orders against Helgason in place for Ann Marie Helgason and related minor children sharing his last name, according to court records.

Using aerosol deodorants to light a person on fire has been shown on YouTube.com and in social media.

The trend, most often practiced by teens, involves a person setting themselves on fire using a spray deodorant like Axe, according to one report from KTLA in Los Angeles.