Beach and campfire burns: a site of pleasure and tragedy

Seasonal use of campground bonfires and beach fire pits is a common practice. A sense of fellowship is derived from this experience. Unfortunately, many people are injured by these fires. It was the objective of this study to quantify and better identify those factors that lead to these injuries. A retrospective review of patients injured from a beach or campground, fire pits, or bonfires was conducted using data from a regional burn registry (1999-2007). Patients sustaining burns serious enough to merit admission were included in this study. Demographic information, circumstances surrounding the injury events, size and location of burn, operative procedures, length of stay, and outcomes were analyzed. There were 3083 patients admitted to the burn center of which 241 met criteria for inclusion in this study. Each year, between 12 and 39 patients were injured by this mechanism; 84% were men. Ages fell into two discrete groups; young age (2-9 years) and adults (18-64 years). Alcohol was a contributing factor in 60.6% of adult burns. The areas of burn, by location and rank order include upper extremities (35.3% of patients), thorax/abdomen/buttocks (32.8%), lower extremities (30.7%), and hands (29.5%). The mean TBSA was 6.1% (1-100%). Approximately 80.7% of the patients sustained combination partial- and full-thickness burns whereas, 4.2% were only partial and 5.1% only full-thickness burns; 36.6% of the patients required skin grafting. The mean length of stay was 8.6 days. There were four fatalities including one suicide. Burn injuries from recreational bonfires remain a problem in our community. Beaches were the most common location for these injuries. Universal safeguards to prevent burn injury should be implemented, including designated areas for fires, protective mechanical barriers to keep children and adults from inadvertently walking or falling into the fire pit. Disposal areas for hot coals from fires or charcoal grills must be furnished and usage strictly enforced. Consideration of the elimination of free-standing beach bonfires should be considered.