Watch CBS News

9-Year-Old In Critical Condition, Reportedly Lit Herself On Fire Inside Brooklyn Charter School

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A nine-year-old girl is in critical condition after being badly burned inside a Brooklyn charter school.

Sources tell CBS2 the young girl was found inside a bathroom at Excellence Girls Academy Charter School in Stuyvesant Heights around 2:30 p.m.

school
Excellence Girls Academy Charter School in Stuyvesant Heights (Credit: CBS2)

First responders say the nine-year-old has 2nd degree and 3rd degree burns to her chest, neck, stomach and arms.

Investigators believe the student may have accidentally lit her school uniform on fire after finding a lighter in the bathroom. A teacher across the hall heard her screaming. When she entered the bathroom, smoke was pouring out of the girl's stall.

The girl has been rushed to New York's Cornell Burn Center.

Stay with CBS New York for the latest on this developing story

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.