A ten-year-old boy suffered first-degree burns to his chest, stomach and right hand after playing with a cigarette lighter and lighter fluid.

The youngster, from Heathfield, Crawley, was given a cold shower by his parents to treat his injuries before being taken to the accident and emergency department at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill on Saturday night.

Fire crews were called to the boy's house at 8pm.

West Sussex Fire Service spokesman Gary Towson, said: "It must have been a dreadful scenario for his parents but they did the right thing by immersing him in water."

Last night the boy, who has not been named, was being treated at the specialist burns unit at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead after being transferred from East Surrey on Saturday.

A Sussex Ambulance spokeswoman said his injuries were serious but not life-threatening and that he was conscious and in a stable condition when he was taken to hospital.

Emergency departments treat about 50,000 children under 14 for burns every year, with the under-fives making up most of the casualties.

Jordan Lee Millar died at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital after he was engulfed in flames as he played with a cigarette lighter.

Jordan, of Belfast, had just turned five in September 2004 when he took the lighter from a kitchen cupboard and set his favourite shellsuit top ablaze.

Mr Towson said: "If children appear to have a fascination with fire we would urge their parents or carers to contact us and discuss our Fire Awareness and Community Education scheme (FACE), which is aimed at trying to prevent this type of accident.

"We have a team of trained volunteers who meet with children and discuss the reasons behind their interest in fire, the dangers and the possible consequences.

"It is free and non-judgmental and the children are not branded by putting them on a risk register.

"All we want to do is prevent this situation happening again.