Girl, 2, hospitalized with chemical burns

A 2-year-old girl is in serious condition after being burned by an acidic cleaning fluid, according to D.C. fire officials.

The incident occurred when the girl and her mother were removing trash from their Toyota RAV4 Wednesday morning in the 2500 block of 17th Street NW, according to D.C. Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer. The girl apparently found the hazardous liquid — an acid-based cleaner used to removed corrosion from air conditioning coils -- in the backseat of the vehicle while her mother was distracted.

The mother took the girl to a nearby walk-in clinic in the 1600 block of Columbia Road, and officials there called the fire department, Piringer said.

The child suffered chemical burns to 25-30 percent of her body, including her face, chest and shoulders. She is also being treated for possible ingestion at Children’s Hospital, Piringer said.

D.C. fire officials later discovered the vehicle with fumes emitting from the open container, causing a “very dangerous” situation, Piringer said. The vehicle has been ventilated and the chemical removed.

“The teachable moment is how important it is to supervise children,” Piringer said. “If they’re close by, they tend to get anything, so the best advice is to make sure they don’t have access to these types of cleaning materials or any kind of hazardous material.”

--Stephanie Lee and Paul Duggan