Girl, Woman Critical After Fall Into Fire Pit At Family Gathering In Cherry Hill

Correction: The incident happened on the 1200 block of Chapel Avenue West.

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A child and a woman suffered life-threatening burns while several others were hospitalized after a fire pit mishap at a family gathering Sunday in Cherry Hill, officials said.

The accident involved a girl falling into a mounted fire pit on the backyard deck of a home on the 1200 block of Chapel Avenue West, said Cherry Hill Fire Chief Wade Houlihan.

Officials are still investigating the events that unfolded. But overall, six people sustained burns, including two children and three women who were hospitalized, Houlihan told Patch.

A 10-year-old girl and a 39-year-old woman were critically injured. Both were flown to Philadelphia for treatment — the child to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and the woman to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Two women and an 11-year-old girl were driven to local hospitals, but their burns weren't considered as severe. A man who sustained minor injuries was treated at the scene.

Houlihan did not know any of the victims' current conditions when he spoke to Patch on Tuesday afternoon.

"It was obviously a terrible accident," Houlihan said.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 7:40 p.m. Sunday for a report of a girl falling into a fire pit. A backyard deck fire was reported shortly after, but it wasn't active when first responders arrived.

Crews got there in about 3 minutes.

"We were clearing another fire incident," Houlihan said. "So thankfully, we were able to get there very quickly."

Cherry Hill's fire marshal office and police department are investigating the incident.