NBS TECHNICAL NOTE 815

Fire Accidents Involving

the Ignition of Sleepwear

Worn by Children

Under the Age of Three
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

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Fire Accidents Involving the Ignition of Sleepwear

Worn by Children Under the Age of Three

National Bureau of Standsrds

9 1974

Elaine A. Tyrrell

Fire Technology Division

Institute for Applied Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, D/recfor

Issued February 1974
National Bureau of Standards Technical Note 815

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Tech. Note 815, 23 pages (Feb. 1974)

CODEN: NBTNAE

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1974

^or sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.46:815). Price 60 cents.
CONTENTS

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. SLEEPWEAR IGNITIONS IN FFACTS 2

2.1 Sleepwear Ignitions Involving 0-2 Year Olds . 4

3. SUMMARY OF DATA FOR SLEEPWEAR ACCIDENTS INVOLVING

CHILDREN UNDER AGE 3 4

3.1 Victim's Involvement 4

3.2 Ignition Sources 4

3.3 Extent of Injuries 7

3.4 Time and Location of Incident 7

3.5 Supervision 7

3.6 Sleepwear Garment Type 8

3.7 Sleepwear Fiber and Fabric Analysis 8

4. CONCLUSIONS 9

APPENDIX A. THE FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACCIDENT CASE

AND TESTING SYSTEM (FFACTS) 10

APPENDIX B. CASE HISTORIES OF 22 SLEEPWEAR FIRE

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CHILDREN UNDER AGE 3 IN THE

FFACTS DATA BASE OF 1,964 CASES 10

REFERENCES 18

in

FIRE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING THE IGNITION OF SLEEPWEAR

WORN BY CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF THREE

Elaine A. Tyrrell

Accident case histories of children under age

3 involved in sleepwear fires are examined in detail. Of 434 persons involved in sleepwear ignition incidents in the NBS Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and Testing System as of January 1973,

101 were children under age 6; 22 of these were

children under age 3. In 15 of these 22 accidents,

the child was a victim of his own actions, while in

7 more accidents, the child played a passive role

in the ignition sequence. Matches and kitchen

ranges were the most frequent ignition sources

found for this group of children. Seven of these

small children died; the remaining 15 victims sustained burn injuries covering from one to 65 percent of their bodies. Most of the sleepwear items

involved in these 22 accidents were made of cotton

and 14 of these 22 items were pajamas. Children

under age 3 were most frequently involved in fire

accidents during the morning hours in the kitchen

or bedroom. Only one child was under the supervision of an adult at the time of the accident.

From the information found in the case history reports, an analysis of the severity of the injuries

received by the victims was made and it was determined that the severity of the injuries received

by one of the 3 infants under the age of one and

15 of the remaining 19 one- and two-year-olds probably would have been reduced if they had been

afforded the protection of a flammability standard.

Key words: Accidents; burn injuries; case histories;

children's sleepwear; fabric fires; FFACTS ; fires;

flammable fabrics; garment fires; ignition sources;

standards

.

1. INTRODUCTION

The current flammability standard for children's sleepwear, sizes 0-6X [1]1, was based on a finding [2] that children

ages 0-5 were exposed to an unreasonable risk of death or inFigures in brackets indicate the literature references at the

end of this paper.
jury from fire incidents involving their sleepwear. This finding resulted from laboratory studies of garments and fabrics,

and from an analysis of accident data on fabric product fires.

These data indicated that children ages 0-5 were involved in

sleepwear fires more frequently than persons from any other

age group

.

Official petitions from various organizations challenged

the inclusion of sleepwear for the very young in the Standard.

In light of questions arising from these petitions, the National Bureau of Standards Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and

Testing System (FFACTS) 2 was searched for accidents involving

the ignition of sleepwear worn by 0-2 year olds. This report

is a summary of information from those accidents and as such

provides background documentation for the inclusion of very

young children in the Standard.

2. SLEEPWEAR IGNITIONS IN FFACTS

From a FFACTS data base of 1,964 accident cases as of

January 197 3, 4 34 were found which involved persons clothed

in sleepwear apparel-^. Figure 1 shows the age distribution of

these victims, who, for purposes of analysis, have been arbitrarily divided into six age groups'*, roughly representing six

types of behavior patterns. The age group most frequently involved in sleepwear accidents was children from through 5

years of age. They represent 101 (23 percent) of the persons

involved in sleepwear accidents. In comparison, 83 (19 percent) of the victims of sleepwear fires were adults 66 years

old and over; another 83 (19 percent) were adults 46-65 years

old; 80 (19 percent) were children 6-12 years old; 67 (16 percent) were young adults, ages 21-45; and 18 (4 percent) were

youth, ages 13-20. In all age groups, females were injured

more often than males.

2 See Appendix A for a description of the FFACTS data base.

3

In these 4 34 accidents, sleepwear garment contamination with

flammable liquids was reported in 22 of the accidents, one of

which involved a child under the age of three. In addition,

sleepwear garments which did not ignite were reported in 21

of the 434 accidents, 2 of which involved children under the

age of three.

4 Two of the victims were excluded from the age groupings as

their ages were unknown.
AGE DISTRIBUTION FOR SLEEPWEAR ACCIDENTS BY AGE GROUPS

(FFACTS, 1,964 CASE DATA BASE)

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AGE GROUP

Figure 1. Age distribution of persons involved in FFACTS

sleepwear accidents (including 22 cases involving flammable liquids and 21 cases in which sleepwear

garments did not ignite)

.
2.1 Sleepwear Ignitions Involving 0-2 Year Olds

Of the 101 children ages 0-5 involved in sleepwear accidents, 22 were under the age of 3 (fig. 2). Three of these

children were under the age of one; 6 were one-year-olds, and

the remaining 13 victims were two-year-olds. Half of the 22

victims were males and half were females.

Children under age three are of particular interest because they are the least mobile and knowledgeable of the group

of children presently covered by the children's sleepwear standard. They lack well-developed motor skills, communicative abilities, and learned responses (e.g. common sense in fire situations) and thus are dependent on others for their welfare and

existence. This is especially true of children under the age

of one.

The following sections of this report describe the circumstances surrounding the involvement of children under the

age of 3 in fires which ignited their sleepwear. A summary of

key aspects of the 22 accidents is given in table 1. In addition, detailed descriptions of each of the accidents, as compiled from case histories, are provided in Appendix B.

3. SUMMARY OF DATA FOR SLEEPWEAR ACCIDENTS

INVOLVING CHILDREN UNDER AGE 3

3.1 Victim's Involvement

In each of the 3 accidents involving children under age

one, the infant was sleeping and played a passive role in the

ignition sequence; that is, each was a helpless bystander. In

15 of the remaining 19 accidents involving one- and two-yearolds, the child was a victim of his own actions; in 2 other

accidents, the child was involved in the ignition process by

an older sibling; and in the remaining 2 accidents, the child

was a helpless bystander.

3.2 Ignition Sources

Matches and kitchen ranges were the most frequent ignition sources for this age group of children, accounting for 17

of the 22 ignitions. Playing with matches resulted in 9 injuries. Only the two-year-olds ignited their own sleepwear

with matches; younger children were involved by the actions

of older siblings. Two of the 3 infants under the age of one

were injured as a result of siblings, ranging in age from 2 to

4 years, playing with matches or a lighter. Seven of the twoyear-olds were injured while playing with matches; another two4
FREQUENCY OF SLEEPWEAR ACCIDENTS BY AGES FOR

AGE GROUP 0-5 (FFACTS, 1,964 CASE DATA BASE)

O-UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE

I -FIRST BIRTHDAY UP TO SECOND BIRTHDAY

2- SECOND BIRTHDAY UP TO THIRD BIRTHDAY

3-THIRD BIRTHDAY UP TO FOURTH BIRTHDAY

4- FOURTH BIRTHDAY UP TO FIFTH BIRTHDAY

5-FIFTH BIRTHDAY UP TO SIXTH BIRTHDAY

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Figure 2. Frequency of sleepwear accidents for age group 0-5

(includes accidents involving flammable liquids and

accidents in which garments did not ignite)

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year-old was injured while sleeping, as a result of his fouryear-old brother playing with matches. None of the one-yearolds was injured from playing with matches or lighters, an

activity that requires the comparatively greater dexterity and

mobility of a two-year-old.

Climbing on kitchen ranges resulted in 8 injuries. Four

of the 6 one-year-olds were injured while climbing on a kitchen

range, either by accidently turning on one of the surface units

or by sitting on the heating elements and playing with the control knobs. Only 4 of the 14 two-year-olds were injured while

involved in this type of activity.

Of the 4 remaining victims, 3 (an infant, a one-year-old,

and a two-year-old) were injured as the result of fires due to

faulty electrical wiring. The remaining one-year-old was injured as the result of his three-year-old brother playing with

gasoline too close to a gas water heater.

3.3 Extent of Injuries

Two of the victims under the age of one died of smoke inhalation and burns; the third infant suffered burns to 65 percent of her body and amputation of both feet. Five of the oneand two-year-olds died as a result of their injuries; one from

asphyxiation and burns, the other 4 from burns covering 50-95

percent of their bodies. Of the remaining 14 victims, 7 sustained burns covering 1-10 percent of their bodies, 5 sustained

burns covering 13-2 3 percent of their bodies, and 2 sustained

burns covering 46 and 64 percent of their bodies, respectively.

3.4 Time and Location of Incident

Children in the 0-2 age group were involved in fire accidents most frequently during the morning hours between 8 and

10 a.m. A few isolated accidents involving only two-year-olds

occurred during the evening hours up to 11 p.m. Accidents occurred more often in the kitchen or bedroom. Ten of the 22

accidents occurred in the kitchen, 7 during the morning hours

and 3 during the afternoon and evening. Eight of the 22 accidents occurred in the bedroom, 5 during the morning hours and

2 in the evening. Time of day was not known for one of the

accidents reported to have taken place in the bedroom.

3.5 Supervision

Only one of the 22 victims was under the supervision of

an adult at the time of the accident. In this case, the mother
of the victim was present in the same room but had her back

turned when the child struck a match that ignited her pajamas.

The most frequently reported activities of the parents at the

time of ignition were sleeping, preparing meals, dressing, or

talking, either on the telephone or to other adults in the

house

.

3.6 Sleepwear Garment Type

Of the sleepwear items found in this age group, pajamas

were the most prevalent. Of the 14 pajamas involved in accidents, one was worn by an infant (male) and 13 by the one- and

two-year-olds (8 males and 4 females). Even though pajamas are

usually fitted garments which makes them less susceptible to

ignition from accidental contact with flame sources, the circumstances in 13 of these accidents permitted ignition regardless of the close fit of the garments. Eleven of these pajamas

were first- to-ignite items and 2 were conflagration cases. In

the remaining accident, the pajamas did not ignite but only

scorched.

The 4 nightgowns involved in accidents were all the first

items to ignite and were worn by female one- and two-year-olds.

Three accidents involving sleepers were found (2 female infants and one male one-year-old) . Two of these sleepers were

conflagration cases and one sleeper did not ignite. Only one

accident was found which involved a robe (male one-year-old)

,

and it was a first- to-ignite item.

3.7 Sleepwear Fiber and Fabric Analysis

In 10 of the 22 accidents, sleepwear remnants were submitted for a laboratory analysis of fiber content and fabric

construction. For 11 more accidents, some or all of this information was gleaned from case history reports. Most of these

garments were found to be made of cotton. Of the garments

tested in the laboratory, 2 pajamas, one nightgown, and the

robe were found to be 10 percent cotton flannelette; 2 pajamas

and one nightgown were found to be 100 percent cotton knit; one

pajamas was found to be 100 percent cotton, plain weave; one

sleeper was found to be 100 percent cotton knit, napped; and

another sleeper was found to be approximately 75/2 5 percent

cotton-nylon knit pile. From the case history reports, it was

learned that 4 pajamas and 2 nightgowns were cotton flannel,

one pajamas was cotton flannelette, 2 pajamas were cotton, one

pair of pajamas was flannel, and one sleeper was made of terry.

For the remaining pajamas incident, no garment remnant was submitted for testing and no mention was made in the case history

report of either the fiber content or fabric construction.

8
4 . CONCLUSIONS

In the FFACTS data base, children in the 0-5 age group

were involved in sleepwear fires more frequently than persons

from any other age group. Twenty- two of the 101 children in

this age group were under the age of 3. Because this 0-2 yearold segment of the population is the least mobile, knowledgeable, and self-sufficient, they are frequently the helpless

victims of the hazardous actions of others or those of their

own. Children this young are extremely vulnerable to accidents

involving the ignition of their clothing, which, due to their

age, frequently means sleepwear items. These sleepwear items

are made from the same fabrics used for the sleepwear of older

children and thus exhibit the same flammability characteristics

From the circumstances of the accidents described in the

case history reports, it is possible to estimate what effect

a flammability standard would have had on the outcome of the

accidents. If the area of body burned seemed to be a direct

consequence of the proximity of burning fabric, it was judged

that the severity of the injury sustained probably would have

been reduced if the protection of a flammability standard had

been afforded. This criterion is met by the cases of one of

the 3 infants under the age of one and 15 of the remaining 19

one- and two-year-olds. Thus 16 of the 22 children probably

would have benefited from a sleepwear flammability standard.

These 16 cases are marked in Appendix B by an asterisk preceding the case numbers

.
APPENDIX A. THE FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACCIDENT CASE

AND TESTING SYSTEM (FFACTS)

The Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and Testing System

(FFACTS) is comprised of reports of fire incidents involving

fabric products and laboratory test results of any fabric remains which may accompany these reports. These accident reports, along with any available fabric remnants, are forwarded

to the NBS Fire Technology Division by Consumer Product Safety

Commission (CPSC) field investigators and other participating

organizations for testing and evaluation. Processing of the

reports and fabric samples accepted for FFACTS includes the

analysis of fabric samples for fabric weight, construction,

composition and flammability characteristics, and the coding

and computerization of up to 130 different data elements for

each incident. Incidents chosen for FFACTS are not selected

on a statistical basis, and therefore do not constitute a

statistically representative sample of all fabric fire accidents in the United States. However, they do represent events

investigated without known preference and therefore may be

roughly representative of incidents reported to the agencies

from which the CPSC and others obtain accident data.

APPENDIX B. CASE HISTORIES OF 22 SLEEPWEAR FIRE ACCIDENTS

INVOLVING CHILDREN UNDER AGE 3 IN THE FFACTS DATA BASE

OF 1,964 CASES 1

*1. CASE NO. 00631

A six-week-old female wearing a sleeper (reported to be

terrycloth) and rubber pants was wrapped in a blanket and

placed in a wicker basket on the kitchen table. The table

was covered with a plastic tablecloth. It was 8 o'clock in

the morning and the infant's two-year-old sister was playing

in the area. There was no adult supervision present at the

time of the ignition. It was theorized that the two-year-old

found a lighter and lit it near the wicker basket. She became

frightened and dropped it on the table where it ignited the

plastic tablecloth which in turn ignited the wicker basket and

the infant's clothing. The mother smelled smoke and rushed

downstairs to find the infant engulfed in flames. She went

into shock and was unable to do anything except scream. The

An asterisk (*) preceding a case number indicates that the

victims probably would have benefited from a sleepwear flammability standard.

10
father, who had been sleeping, rushed downstairs, took the infant out of the basket and wrapped her in a nylon jacket to

extinguish the flames. All of the victim's clothing was

burned. The victim was hospitalized with burns covering 65

percent of her body: third degree burns from the waist down

and on the left arm, and second degree burns on the left cheek.

The burns necessitated the amputation of both feet.

2. CASE NO. 009 41

A three-month-old male wearing pajamas was left unattended

in a bassinette in a trailer. An electric clother dryer, in

use at the time, overloaded a circuit which started a fire in

the wall paneling. The bassinette was contiguous to the wall

paneling where the ignition occurred. The time of the ignition

of the injury is unknown. The mother was visiting a neighbor

when the fire started and by the time she discovered the fire,

she was unable to rescue the infant. The fire department extinguished the flames. Damage was restricted to the wall panel, floor, and carpet in the area of the bassinette which was

also destroyed. The victim's death was attributed to asphyxiation and burns covering his entire body with third degree

burns covering 9 percent of his body.

3. CASE NO. 00357

A seven-month-old female wearing a sleeper of approximately 75/25 percent cotton-nylon knit pile was asleep in a plastic coated wood crib. The infant was lying on a plastic

mattress cover which presumably was covered with a blanket or

sheet. No supervision was present. It was about 9 o'clock

in the morning. The infant's four-year-old brother was playing with matches and started a fire on his own bed which was

across the room from the infant's crib. The boy became frightened and left the room without notifying his mother who was

asleep on the couch in the living room. The fire was discovered approximately ten or fifteen minutes later by a neighbor.

The fire department was summoned to extinguish the flames. The

room was filled with smoke, but the fire was restricted to the

bed. Although the fire did not reach the infant's crib, the

heat it generated softened the plastic which surrounded the

victim. As a result, the infant suffered first and second degree burns on her face and head and second degree burns on her

hands due to the hot plastic. Her pajamas were scorched, but

did not ignite. The victim was taken to the hospital by her

mother and the neighbor, but pronounced dead on arrival from

smoke inhalation. On a previous occasion, the brother had burned the baby's leg with a match.

11
*4. CASE NO. 00398

A fifteen-month-old female wearing a 100 percent cotton

knit nightgown and wet diaper pushed her high chair over to the

electric range and climbed onto the range, apparently in an attempt to reach some brightly colored pills on the back of the

range. It was about 8:20 a.m. and her parents were upstairs

dressing for work. Only the victim's four-year-old brother was

present in the kitchen. It is speculated that in trying to

reach the pills the child rested her hand on the control knob

for the back burner and turned it on. The heat from the coil

ignited her nightgown. The control knobs, located on the back

panel of the range, were tested later and it was found that

they need only be turned slightly to activate the heating elements. Screams from the victim eventually brought the mother

downstairs. She saw the baby engulfed in flames and immediately set her on the floor and put out the fire with her hands.

The victim was rushed to the hospital where she died approximately eight hours later. She suffered second and third degree

burns to 70 percent of her body. She suffered no burns around

the buttocks as she was protected with wet diaper she was

wearing.

*5. CASE NO. 00114

An eighteen-month-old male wearing pajamas (reported to

be cotton flannel) climbed onto an electric range about one

p.m. while his father was asleep on the couch. While playing

with the control knobs, located on the back of the range, he

managed to turn on the oven and the right front burner on high.

The smoke generated by the plastic handle of a skillet left in

the oven awoke the father. He heard the victim crying in the

kitchen and found his son sitting on the back of the range with

his legs between the two front burners and the left pajama leg

burning. The father smothered the flames with his hands. The

victim suffered burns which covered 18 percent of his body with

third degree burns on the sole of his right foot, calf of his

left leg, and lower portion of his buttocks; second degree

burns on one toe and the side of his left foot; and first degree burns on his face, arms, and back.

6. CASE NO. 00262

An eighteen-month-old male wearing a cotton polo shirt,

cotton diapers and rubber pants under a 10 percent cotton knit

sleeper, napped, was sleeping in a crib in an unfinished basement. There was no adult supervision present. At about 11:30

a.m., an extension cord, which was draped across the room and

over the baby's crib, shorted at a spliced spot and fell into

12
the crib. Pennies had been placed previously in the fuse box

and the multiple outlet into which the heavy duty extension

cord had been plugged also contained cords from the television

which was playing and a space heater which was turned on high.

It was theorized that sparks from the extension cord fell into

the crib, ignited the nylon blanket or cover sheet, and ultimately the baby's clothes. The victim's mother and grandmother

were upstairs talking when the ignition occurred. They thought

they heard a muffled cry from the baby, but hearing no further

sounds, forgot about the cries. Ten to fifteen minutes later,

the two women smelled smoke and went down into the basement.

They saw that the baby was burned badly and both of them became hysterical. A neighbor, hearing the screams and seeing

the smoke pouring from the basement door, entered the basement. The fire had almost burned itself out and was only partially smoldering. When the fire reached the baby, it had set

his back on fire and he probably rolled onto his stomach which

stopped the fire from burning the front of his pajamas. He had

pulled himself to his knees, perhaps trying to get out of the

crib. He was found crouched on his knees with his head toward

the wall at the extreme end of the crib, away from the source

of the fire. Mouth to mouth resuscitation was attempted on the

scene by a fireman and the baby was rushed to the hospital

where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Death was reported

to be caused by smoke inhalation. The extent of the baby's

burns were not reported.

*7. CASE NO. 019 6

A nineteen-month-old male wearing a 100 percent cotton

flannelette robe and a wet disposable diaper moved a chair

next to the electric range and climbed onto it about 4:30 p.m.

while his father was asleep on the couch and an older brother

was dressing in his bedroom. The child sat on a coil while

he played with the control knobs on the back of the range.

He turned on three of the surface units, one of which ignited

his bathrobe. The victim's screams brought the brother to the

kitchen. Seeing his baby brother sitting on the range with

his clothes on fire, he ran to the living room to awaken his

father who was delayed in responding as he had to locate his

eyeglasses. The father pulled the child to the floor and

smothered the flames with a terrycloth towel. The victim was

hospitalized for approximately three months with 15 percent

second degree and 5 percent third degree burns on his body.

One week earlier the victim's mother had placed him on the

counter next to the range. The victim pushed the control knob,

turning one of the surface units to a high setting and touched

the coil, burning his left index finger.

13
*8. CASE NO. 00344

A twenty-month-old female wearing pajamas (reported to be

cotton) and a wet double diaper woke up about 6:30 a.m.,

climbed out of her crib and went into the kitchen. Apparently

she noticed a bowl of apples on top of the electric range and

attempted to reach them by climbing onto the range from a

chair. She sat down on the large left front burner with her

leg folded underneath her to eat the apple. As she sat down,

she apparently hit the control knob and turned the burner on

high. The heat may not have been felt initially by the victim

because of the insulation provided by her wet diapers, but the

victim's pajamas ignited. The parents were awakened by the

screams of their five-year-old daughter who found the baby

with her clothes in flames. The father removed the baby from

the range and smothered the flames by throwing himself over

her body on the floor. The burns were treated with cold water

and the baby was rushed to the hospital. The victim was hospitalized for approximately two months with 12 percent second

degree and 3 percent third degree burns on her lower legs and

left foot.

9. CASE NO. 00052

A twenty- two-month-old male wearing a pajama top and

training pants (both reported to be cotton) was playing with

his three-year-old brother on a small patio which was contiguous to the garage door at about 8:40 a.m. The three-year-old

apparently spilled some gasoline from a glass jug his father

had left on the floor outside the garage door. The gasoline

was ignited by the pilot light from a gas water heater, also

located outside, between the garage and the house. Although

the clothing of both youngsters was saturated with gasoline,

only the clothing of the one-year-old ignited. Screams from

both boys brought the mother who tore off the victim's clothing, extinguishing the flames. The pajama top was almost completely consumed, but the training pants afforted some protection to those areas of the body that the pants covered.

The victim was hospitalized with first, second, and third degree burns covering 50 percent of his body. He died several

days later.

*10. CASE NO. 00367

A two-year-old male wearing pajamas (reported to be cotton

flannel) found a book of matches in the pocket of a bathrobe.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, he took them to his bed and

lit one which ignited his pajama top. The victim's uncle and

grandmother heard him cry out and ran to the child's room where

14
they found the pajama top engulfed in flames. The uncle smothered the flames with a blanket and they removed the burned pajamas from the victim. The child was hospitalized for six

weeks with second and third degree burns on his chest and abdomen which required skin grafts.

11. CASE NO. 00657

A two-year-old male wearing pajamas (reported to be flannel) was put to bed with his brother in their mother's bed at

about 11 p.m. The mother was away from the bedroom for awhile

When she returned, she found the bed in flames, apparently

from faulty wiring in a heating pad. She pulled the two boys

from the bed and called the fire department. The mother later

noticed that the two-year-old had been burned. The victim

suffered first and second degree burns on a small area of his

back although the pajamas he was wearing did not ignite but

only scorched in one small area.

12. CASE NO. 01058

A two-year-old male wearing 10 percent cotton pajamas

was asleep in his bed when a fire broke out in the house around

7:30 a.m., probably as the result of a four-year-old brother

playing with matches. The fire moved from the brother's bed

to the victim's bed which was in the same room, and in the process, consumed a large part of the plywood wall paneling and

all of the linoleum flooring except for a section underneath

a dresser. The mother rescued the four-year-old and an infant,

both of whom escaped injury. The two-year-old was hospitalized with second and third degree burns over 95 percent of his

body. Only the diaper area was not burned. The victim died

five hours later. The mother also received burns covering

approximately 50 percent of her body; 10 percent were third

degree burns

*13. CASE NO. 01715

A two-year-old female wearing a 10 percent cotton flannelette nightgown was playing with matches with her two-yearold brother about 8:30 a.m. There was no adult supervision

present. In the course of answering the telephone, the child's

grandmother noticed the child sitting on her bed with her

nightgown on fire. The grandmother dropped the telephone,

rushed into the bedroom and beat out the flames on the nightgown with her hands. The victim was rushed to the hospital

by the mother and grandmother where she received treatment for

second degree burns on her right thigh and the right side of

her abdomen.

15
*14. CASE NO. 01742

A two-year-old female wearing a pajama shirt (reported to

be cotton flannel) and panties (reported to be silk) was playing with her 3 siblings about 7 o'clock in the morning, about

an hour before the parents normally arise. The children were

apparently playing on or around the gas range in the kitchen

when the pilot light from one of the burners ignited the loose

pajama shirt the victim was wearing. The child ran to her

parents 1 bedroom with her pajamas in flames. The father rolled

her on the floor to extinguish the flames. The panties had

melted in the front. The father may have applied a petroleum

jelly to the burned areas before taking her to the hospital.

The victim was treated for first, second, and third degree

burns to the chest, neck, arms and genitals, a total area covering approximately 23 percent of her body. At the time of

the investigation, her condition was complicated by a stress

ulcer, heart problems, and breathing problems which necessitated a tracheotomy.

*15. CASE NO. 02272

A two-year-old female wearing knit pajamas of 100 percent

cotton was playing in the living room with her four-year-old

sister about 8:58 a.m. They found some matches on the mantle.

The victim lit one which ignited the leg of her pajamas. The

mother discovered the child with her pajama leg burning and

extinguished the flames . She took the victim to the hospital

where she was treated and released with second and third degree

burns to her thigh, an area covering approximately one percent

of her body.

*16. CASE NO. 02322

A two-year-old female wearing pajamas (reported to be cotton flannel) was playing with matches and cigarettes in the

kitchen about 10:30 a.m. She lit one of the matches and ignited her pajamas. Her mother extinguished the flames. The

victim was treated and released with second and third degree

burns covering her chest and shoulders, an area representing

approximately 10 percent of her body.

*17. CASE NO. 02395

A two-year-old female wearing pajamas (reported to be

cotton flannelette) was sitting in a chair in the family room

one evening. The victim's mother was present in the room when

the ignition occurred but had her back turned to the child.

16
The victim struck a match which ignited her pajamas. The

mother turned when the child screamed and extinguished the

flames. The victim was hospitalized with third degree burns

covering approximately 13 percent of her body.

*18. CASE NO. 02214

A two-and-a-half-year-old male wearing flannelette pajamas of 100 percent cotton and disposable diapers climbed onto

an electric range in the kitchen about 8 p.m. and turned on

a burner. The pajamas ignited and the boy ran to his mother

engulfed in flames. The mother extinguished the flames by

putting her son under the shower in the bathroom. The pajamas were completely consumed, but the disposable diaper protected the body area that it covered. The child was hospitalized with first, second, and third degree burns covering approximately 70 percent of his body. He died approximately nine

weeks later.

*19. CASE NO. 02401

A two-and-a-half-year-old female wearing a nightgown (reported to be cotton flannel) and an undershirt (reported to be

cotton) woke up around 3:30 a.m. and went to the kitchen. She

chimbed on the counter adjacent to the electric range and began

playing with sugar, salt, coffee, etc., and apparently the control knobs on the range. She turned on a burner and ignited

her nightgown which was consumed completely. The undershirt

was consumed partially. The victim was hospitalized with second and third degree burns covering approximately 6 5 percent

of her body. She died five days later.

*20. CASE NO. 02326

A two-year-ten-month-old male wearing a knit pajama top

of 100 percent cotton and a knit undershirt of 100 percent cotton was playing in the bathtub one evening when he found a book

of matches. Pretending a hairpin was a cigarette, he placed

it in his mouth and attempted to light it. The lighted match

dropped into his lap and ignited the pa jama top. Hearing the

victim scream, the mother ran to the bathroom and tried to

extinguish the flames with her hands. When this did not work,

she grabbed a towel and wrapped him in it. The victim was

treated for second degree burns covering approximately 5 percent of his body.

17
*21. CASE NO. 01699

A two-year-eleven-month-old male wearing pajamas of 100

percent cotton flannelette was playing in the kitchen at about

8:30 a.m. while his parents were elsewhere in the house. The

boy apparently turned on one of the heating elements on the

electric range and was trying to turn it off again when his

pajama top came in contact with the hot coils and ignited. The

victim's screams brought the father to the kitchen where he

found the pajama top in flames. The father put the flames out

with his hands. The pajamas were removed, and the victim was

wrapped in a cold wet towel by his mother. The victim was hospitalized with second and third degree burns to the left side

of his chest and left arm, an area covering approximately 9

percent of his body.

*22. CASE NO. 01817

A two-year-eleven-month-old female, wearing a new nightgown (reported to be cotton flannel) , an undershirt (reported

to be cotton) , cotton diapers with plastic pants, and socks,

had been put to bed in a crib at approximately 10:30 p.m. The

family was spending the night with a relative and the child was

sleeping in her uncle's bedroom. From her crib, the victim was

apparently able to reach a lighter or some matches on the dresser. The parents were visiting in the living room downstairs

when they heard the victim crying. As many people were in the

living room talking, the parents at first thought the crying

was that of their three-month-old infant, but soon realized

that it was the' victim. When the father reached the victim,

it appeared as though the entire nightgown was in flames. He

smothered the flames with the crib blanket and carried her

downstairs where she was immersed in cold water in the bathtub. The socks did not burn, nor did the diapers and plastic

pants, which were only scorched in a few places, thus protecting the body areas they covered. The victim was hospitalized

with third degree burns covering approximately 46 percent of

her body.

REFERENCES

[1] The Standard for the Flammability of Children's Sleepwear, DOC FF3-71, Federal Register, Vol. 37, No. 141

(July 21, 1972) , 14524-14632 (Revised)

.

[2] Children's Wearing Apparel, Notice of Finding That Flammability Standard or Other Regulation May Be Needed and

Institution of Proceedings, Federal Register, Vol. 35,

No. 17 (Jan. 24, 1970), 1019-1020.

2_ 8 <• V, S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1974—542-653/134
NBS-114A (REV. 7-73)

U.p. DEPT. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR RKPORT NO. NBS TN-815

2. Gov't Accession

No.

3. Recipient's Accession No.

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Fire Accidents Involving The Ignition Of Sleepwear Worn

By Children Under The Age Of Three

5. Publication Date February 1974

6. Performing Organization Code

7. AUTHOR(S)

El aine A. Tyrrel

8. Performing Organ. Report No.

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

10. Project/Task/Work Unit No. ^903235

11. Contract/Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Complete Address (Street, City, State, ZIP)

Same as No. 9»

13. Type of Report & Period Covered Fi nal

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.) Accident case histories of children under age 3 involved in sleepwear fires are examined in detail. Of k}k persons involved in sleepwear ignition incidents in the

NBS Flammable Fabrics Accident Case and Testing System as of January 1973, 101 were children under age 6; 22 of these were children under age 3. In 15 of these 22 ac- cidents, the child was a victim of his own actions, while in 7 more accidents, the

child played a passive role in the ignition sequence. Matches and kitchen ranges were the most frequent ignition sources found for this group of children. Seven of

these small children died; the remaining 15 victims sustained burn injuries covering

from one to 65 percent of their bodies. Most of the sleepwear items involved in these

22 accidents were made of cotton and )k of these 22 items were pajamas. Children

under age 3 were most frequently involved in fire accidents during the morning hours

in the kitchen or bedroom. Only one child was under the supervision of an adult at the time of the accident. From the information found in the case history reports,

an analysis of the severity of the injuries received by the victims was made and it was determined that the severity of the injuries received by one of the 3 infants

under the age of one and 15 of the remaining 19 one- and two-year-olds probably

would have been reduced if they had been afforded the protection of a flammability

standard.

17. KEY WORDS (six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper name; separated by semicolons)

Accidents; burn injuries; case histories; children's sleepwear; fabric fires; FFACTS;

fires; flammable fabrics; garment fires; ignition sources; standards.

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