Teenager burned by campfire in 'good spirits,' dad says

A teenager burned severely in a weekend camping accident and her older sister, who went into labor when she fell during the accident, are in good spirits, their father said Monday evening.

Zoe Fields, 15, suffered burns to her arms, legs and abdomen and her 22-year-old sibling went into premature labor when the teen poured gasoline on a campfire Sunday evening in the backyard of a home in the 4200 block of Horatio-Harris Creek Road, the Darke County Sheriff's Office said.

Fire caught the stream of fuel, traveled back up into the can and caused it to explode "all over her and her clothes," Steve Fields said of Zoe.

"I chased her down by the bush," he told News Center 7's Kate Bartley on Monday. "We got her down, we were rolling her. I got on top of her and got the flames finally out.

"But by that time, most of her body was engulfed in flame," he said. "Her clothes were pretty much stuck to her."

By Monday evening, Zoe remained in Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, where she'll be receiving skin grafts, her father said.

"She's in good shape and in good spirits," he said.

The older daughter, who went into labor after she fell onto her stomach as she tried to get away from the explosion and flames, gave birth to a healthy 6-pound, 9-ounce baby boy, he said. The baby, born Monday afternoon, was a month early.

Through all the confusion and difficulty in dealing with what happened, Fields said a parent just has to keep pushing forward and be there for their children.

"Why'd she do it?" Fields asked rhetorically. "I have no idea."

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