Before you fire up the sprinkler this summer, beware of how hot the water is that has been sitting inside your garden hose.
Las Vegas Fire Rescue posted a picture of a toddler who had been burned by scalding hot water from inside a garden hose as a cautionary tale to parents to “let the water flow a few minutes to cool before spraying on people or animals.”
“Here in Las Vegas, a garden hose exposed to direct sunlight during summer can heat the water inside the hose (not flowing) to 130-140 degrees which can cause burns especially to children and animals,” Las Vegas Fire Rescue tweeted.
The incident reportedly occurred two years ago, but the fire department uses the photo as a warning each summer.
Here in Las Vegas, a garden hose exposed to direct sunlight during summer can heat the water inside the hose (not flowing) to 130-140 degrees which can cause burns especially to children & animals. Let the water flow a few minutes to cool before spraying on people or animals. pic.twitter.com/FMkzEt27xl
— Las Vegas FireRescue (@LasVegasFD) June 4, 2018
“We use it every year to show just how serious a burn can occur to a toddler,” Las Vegas Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Tim Szymanski told KTLA. “We got a ton of tweets back from people (saying) ‘I never thought about that,’ and that’s why we do it.”
The then 9-month-old toddler suffered second-degree burns on 30 percent of his body, KPHO-TV reported in 2016.
“Sometimes people don’t realize that for the length of the hose, all that water is going to be hot water,” Szymanski added.
Be mindful when using garden hoses during the summer and during any season with hot temperatures.
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