LA CENTER, WA (KPTV) -
A 9-year-old girl suffered second- and third-degree burns across 75 percent of her body when her clothes caught fire as she was trying to light a candle Wednesday morning.
After catching fire, Atalie Perrenoud ran into the hallway, where her mother, Kelly Perrenoud, grabbed her and took her to the ground, said Dennis Mason, chief of Clark County Fire and Rescue.
Kelly Perrenoud rolled her daughter on the floor to extinguish the burning clothes, and in the process, the mother suffered serious burns.
Paramedics rushed the girl by ambulance to La Center High School, where a LifeFlight helicopter picked her up and took her to the burn center at Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
She was treated and released from the hospital.
As of Wednesday morning, Atalie Perrenoud remained at the Oregon Burn Center in critical condition.
The girl's burns were the worst on her torso, arms, back and hands; fortunately, her face was not as badly burned.
Clark County firefighters responded within four minutes of the 911 call at 9:21 a.m.
Because clothing typically does not go up in flames as fast as it did in this incident, a fire official said investigators are trying to determine whether an accelerant, such as hair spray, was involved.
The Clark County Fire Marshal's Office is still investigating.
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Atalie Perrenoud is recovering at the Oregon Burn Center.
