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FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A man was sent to the hospital after being badly burned in a car fire near a Fairfield park on Thursday evening.
Fairfield Police and Fire Department crews were called to the scene at Tunxis Hill Park on Melville Avenue at about 6 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses told police they heard a popping sound and the start of a fire. An SUV was engulfed in flames, and a man was seen running out of the car and toward an ongoing Little League baseball game.
The man ran toward the field until others helped him to the ground in an effort to put out the flames, police said. The victim was taken to Bridgeport Hospital for treatment of severe burns. He remained in critical condition as of 9:30 p.m. Thursday, according to police reports.
Police and fire investigators were trying to determine the cause of the fire. “We don’t know at this point whether it was an accident, if it was a car malfunction, or whether it was intentional,” Fairfield Police Lt. James Perez said late Thursday.
The victim has not yet been identified. He has been described as a man between 18 and 22. The car had New York State license plates.
Police recommend that parents of children at the game seek counseling from their schools. “This can be extremely traumatic, especially for young kids,” Perez said.
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