A NEW gel treatment was used to treat a young girl who was badly burned when an empty fuel can exploded.

Saphron Pennington, aged nine, of Ridyard Street, Walkden, suffered burns to her hands and an arm when a lit match sparked petrol vapours on land near her home.

Paramedics rushed to the scene of the accident in nearby Kingsley Road, Walkden, on Saturday lunchtime.

They wrapped Saphron's injuries in a special gauze dressing, impregnated with 'water gel'.

It is designed to rapidly ease the pain of burns and dramatically increases the chance of recovery.

Saphron, a pupil at Wharton Primary School, Little Hulton was taken to the casualty unit at Bolton General Hospital.

Saphron, who was allowed home later but will need further treatment, later told how she was playing with her friends when a local boy found the empty petrol can.

She said that the boy lit a cigarette and then dropped it into the can.

"It just blew up. There was a loud bang and all flames came out of it."

She suffered burns to her the fingers, hand and right forearm.

Today her mother Cheryl took Saphron to Booth Hall Children's Hospital where doctors will assess whether skin grafts are needed.

Station officer Alan Carwardine , of Farnworth fire brigade, warned of the dangers of putting naked flames near fuel cans, even if they are empty.

"The fumes still inside are very dangerous. Children should stay well away, " he said.

Greater Manchester Ambulance Service has used the gel-infused dressing for several months.

Paramedic Derek Anthony, based at Highfield station in Farnworth, used it to treat a young Ordsall girl badly scalded in a bath of hot water when he worked in Salford.

He said: "It is very effective for up to three hours after first being applied to the patient and helps make them as comfortable as possible."

Station officer Carwardine added that Greater Manchester firefighters were hopeful they too would soon be getting consignments of the water gel.

He said: "It is very good stuff and rapidly promotes recovery for burns. We hope to have it very soon and we'll be one of the first brigades in the country to use it."

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