A 7-year-old boy with burns to half his body may have been the victim of a deliberate act of vandalism, according to an aunt who says a propane cannister was buried in a fire pit that exploded with devastating results Saturday evening.
Andrea Persaud said her nephew was airlifted to CHEO where he remains with serious burns to 50 per cent of his body.
“We have found out someone had buried a small propane tank in the fire pit and police are investigating,” Persaud said in a GoFundMe post . “This is a very traumatic experience not only for my nephew and my niece, who also suffers burns on her thighs and legs, but for the whole family.”
Lanark County OPP Const. Lori Lobinowich said the ongoing investigation will consider the possibility that the propane cannister was deliberately buried in the fire pit at Tay River Tent and Trailer Park, near Perth.
“Certainly,” she said, “we are looking at all possibilities from intent to harm, to accidental, or a combination of both, and would welcome any information to assist in the investigation.”
She asked anyone with information to call the Lanark County detachment at 1-888-310-1122 or Lanark County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Persaud’s GoFundMe page has raised more than $17,000 for her stricken relatives in less than 24 hours. She said the money will go towards covering medical and rehabilitation costs for her nephew, and lost wages for the family.
“My sister is self-employed and during this time will most likely not be able to work,” Persaud said. “Any amount donated will help my sister and her family cover those costs and be able to focus on caring for her son and healing from such a traumatic experience.”
Three people were injured in the campfire explosion that brought police, firefighters and paramedics racing to the scene, just east of Christie Lake, at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. The two other burn victims were treated and released from hospital.
Hans Gretener, co-owner of the Tay River Trent and Trailer Park, said Tuesday that he has advised all of the campers in the park to check their fire pits for buried propane cannisters.
“We told everyone to check their fire pits,” said Gretener, who has owned and operated the trailer park with his wife, Brigitte, for 23 years.
Police have fingerprinted what remained of the exploded cannister, he said, adding that it’s possible that the cannister had been buried undiscovered in the fire pit for years. He said the cannister was a small, green tank, the kind that normally provides fuel for a camp stove.
“Basically, it’s still under investigation, and we know nothing,” Gretener said. “All we know is that a tank exploded.”
Gretener said the family injured by the propane explosion has for many years rented a seasonal trailer site at the park. Most seasonal campers, he added, use large propane tanks to bbq and not the small propane cannisters.
On her Facebook page, Andrea Persaud said the family remains “in complete shock.” “I still can’t believe that this actually happened even after speaking to my sister my mother, and even seeing the pictures,” she said.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
