Mother has warning for parents after son gets 2nd-degree burns

NORTH CAROLINA — A mother has a warning for parents, about something in homes that could be a serious hazard to young children.

Nearly 11 million households have glass-enclosed fireplaces that could be dangerous.

At 14 months old, Jaden Pollack had just learned to walk and was exploring his great grandfather's home in Boston.

"In the entrance way was a glass-enclosed fireplace, decorative or so I thought," said Jaden's mother Stacy Pollack.

Attracted to the flames and at his eye level, Jaden touched the glass.

"All of a sudden he started to whimper and he screamed," Pollack said, "I put my hand on it and the glass was so, so hot."

At the hospital, Jaden's stunned parent's learned that he had second-degree burns.

"They came out and gave him a shot of morphine in the leg because he was in so much pain," said Pollack.

For more than a month, Jaden went to Shriner's Hospital daily for treatments. That is when Stacey found out this was not the first time that this kind of incident had happened.

"I said I think the glass must have been defective and they said 'No that's how they are. They said we see these all the time," said Pollack.

"And the parents may not know right away that this glass can be 400 to 500 degrees," he said.

After several lawsuits, the industry now urges owners to buy safety screens or free standing gates.

In the meantime, Pollack warns parents to be aware of the danger.

"Jaden was lucky," said Pollack. "He has no scarring. He has full use of his hands and full feeling. A lot of these kids don't."

These fireplaces can stay hot, 30 to 40 minutes after the fire is already out.

Starting in 2015, all new gas fireplaces will include a safety screen that must be installed.

WSOC