9-Year-Old Haskell Girl Seriously Injured After Playing With Lighter

A Haskell girl is recovering from severe burns after she accidentally caught herself on fire while playing with a lighter over the weekend.

Now, the community is stepping up to raise some money for her family.

The family says is could be several months before the 9-year-old Lilly Norris is able to return home.

Fawn Cox, Lilly’s aunt, says “if I close my eyes, that’s all I see is Lilly’s dress on fire.”

Lilly was playing with her sister, Leighayla, on Saturday afternoon when the two got ahold of a lighter.

“They were in the bedroom playing, like they do every day, and the next thing we knew someone is screaming bloody murder,” said Cox.

Leighayla says, “I saw her, ‘ahhh’ like that, and then I saw the lighter in her hands and it was burning her dress.”

Cox says the second she and her sister, Kristin, saw what happened, they called 911.

“We were just smacking her down with t-shirts and our hands and everything,” said Cox.  “I stripped her down and got her in the cold tub, cold shower.”

Haskell’s police and fire departments responded immediately.

Assistant Chief of Police Kermit Thomas says “she was conscious, she was talking to the EMS personnel inside and she was shaking pretty hard, though.”

Lilly’s family says she’s in the process of getting skin grafts at a Texas hospital, but they could be there for several months.  So, now, community groups, including one headed by Thomas, are stepping up to help.

Thomas says, “I’m sure they are going to need help paying their utility bills…and when she gets home, she’s going to need certain things, I’m sure.”

“We’ve had friends and teachers stop by…neighbors, friends that we know,” said Cox.

All showing support for Lilly.

If you want to donate, you can drop money off at the Haskell police station or there’s a change jar at the Conoco gas station in Haskell.