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St. Petersburg boy burned after falling in fire pit at campground

 
Published Sept. 16, 2013

ST. PETERSBURG — A St. Petersburg boy whose family was celebrating his second birthday at a campground suffered burns Sunday morning after falling into a fire pit, authorities said.

The boy, Johnathan Moore, who had turned 2 on Tuesday, was riding a scooter on a patio but lost his balance. He fell into hot coals in the fire pit at the St. Petersburg/Madeira Beach KOA campground, just east of the Pinellas Trail, at 5400 95th St. N, said Cecilia Barreda, a Pinellas County sheriff's spokeswoman.

He was staying with relatives at the campground to mark his birthday. Detectives said his mother, 32-year-old Tracey Fincher of St. Petersburg, and other relatives pulled him from the pit and called 911. They administered first aid until paramedics arrived.

The boy was transported by medical helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, where he was in the intensive care unit Sunday night with first- and second-degree burns on his back, left arm and left leg, Barreda said. He was considered to be stable.

Detectives from the Crimes Against Children Unit were investigating, but the burning appeared to be accidental, Barreda said.

At the campground early Sunday afternoon, a man who said he was the boy's uncle declined to comment. The boy's mother could not be reached.

The campgrounds are near the shoreline of Long Bayou and offer cabins, tent camping and a recreational vehicle park.

Staff writer Brittany Alana Davis contributed to this report.