Child Burn Victim and Parents Speak out

STERLING, Va (WUSA) "I thought I failed. I thought, oh, my God. I let my daughter get hurt. That's not what parents do."
Michelle Calvo, a mother of three little girls, is still racked with guilt after what happened to her daughter
Paige.

"My mommy and gramdma were screaming. Were you screaming... uh huh. Cuz it hurted, " said five year old Paige.

On July 1st, Paige suffered 3rd degree burns over 25 percent of her body, including most of her back.

"Essentially, almost the entire dress was on fire engulfing her upper body," said her father, Bill Calvo, who heard her terrifying screams and rushed to her side. She had been burning for less than ten seconds.

Her mom had left a burning candle where she thought it was out of reach of the children. On top of this butcher block, on the kitchen counter. She thought the children were all upstairs getting ready for bed.

Michelle said, "I remember seeing the candle. I was going to blow it out, but got distracted."

Paige was still downstairs and saw the burning candle.
She climbed up on the counter to blow out the candle. Instead, it fell over, and set her dress on fire. In seconds, she was ablaze, screaming. Her arms received the deepest burns.

"I grabbed her right away and just threw her to the ground and put it out with my hands, " said Bill.

He stood her up, and ripped off the dress. "That's when I had to pause because she skin was gone. It was just hanging off her body. Hanging off her arm."

Michelle called 9-11 and Bill's mother poured cold water on Paige's burns. Paramedics arrived within minutes and medivaced her to Children's Hospital.

Bill and Michelle had taught their children fire safety and thought they were protected. But expects say the only way to keep from being burned by a candle is to not have them in the house.

"The last thing you want is to live with the guilt that you were responsible for the death of maiming of a child. Just be vigilant, " said Bill.

Chrissy Cianflone with Safe Kids Worldwide says "A child's skin is much thinner, so they can burn must faster than an adult." She recommends using flameless, battery operated candles.

You can find flameless candles at www.flamelesscandles.net and http://www.candleimpressions.net/ and www.TheFlamelessCandleShop.com