Apr 16, 2007 8:29 AM
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Child burned with acid on Maryland playground*

Several bottles of industrial-strength drain cleaner splashed on equipment

MIDDLE RIVER, Md. - A 2-year-old boy was critically burned Saturday
after someone broke into an elementary school, stole several bottles of
industrial-strength drain cleaner and splashed it all over the school's
playground equipment, authorities said.

The boy was burned mostly on his legs by the cleaner, which contains a
strong concentration of sulfuric acid, said Division Chief Michael
Robinson of the Baltimore County Fire Department. No one else was injured.

The boy's parents initially took him to Franklin Square Hospital Center
after he was burned, and the hospital's emergency room had to be
evacuated because they tracked some of the drain cleaner in with them,
Robinson said.

The boy was then taken to the pediatric burn unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The person or persons responsible will face charges including
first-degree assault, burglary and destruction of property, said Sgt.
Vickie Warehime, a county police spokeswoman.

"We're very lucky nobody else used that playground today," Warehime
said. "We could have had numerous victims."

Someone kicked in the door to a storage room at Victory Villa Elementary
School sometime overnight, Warehime said. Investigators found that six
bottles of drain cleaner had been opened.

Whoever is responsible most likely suffered minor burns to the hands and
arms, Warehime said. Anyone with information was asked to call police.

A hazardous materials team cleaned up the playground, using tens of
thousands of gallons of water, Robinson said.