GARDNERVILLE RANCHOS - A 14-year-old boy was seriously burned Monday morning when a pan of vegetable oil ignited while he was cooking onion rings.
The fire occurred at 1442 Sally Lane around 9:30 a.m., according to Fire Investigator Terry Taylor.
The boy, Dakota Maricich, tried to move the pan while it was on fire and the oil sloshed onto his hands. The burning oil set the linoleum on fire, and then Dakota slipped as he was trying to escape the fire.
Taylor said the boy had second- and third-degree burns on his hands and knees, some first-degree burns and some burned hair. Burns covered an estimated 9 percent of his body.
The boy's 15-year-old sister was taken to Carson Valley Medical Center with possible smoke inhalation. The mother of the children, Donna Tindel, was at home at the time of the fire.
The boy was taken to Carson Valley Medical Center and put aboard a Care Flight helicopter and sent to Washoe Medical Center. His sister was treated and released, and both mother and daughter were headed to Reno to be with Dakota.
"The outcome looks positive," Taylor said. "The best thing to do with an oil fire is to leave it alone. They can be very dangerous."
Off-duty Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Mick Doan, who lives nearby, put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.
"The damage to the house is to the linoleum floor and minor smoke damage," Taylor said, estimating the loss at $2,000.
n Contact reporter Kurt Hildebrand at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.
