Boy, 15, airlifted to hospital after 'setting himself on fire while using petrol'

A 15-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital by air ambulance after he reportedly set himself on fire in a filed near the White Horse Pub on Harrowgate Hill in Darlington

16:21, 04 Aug 2026Updated 16:21, 04 Aug 2026

The incident occurred in a field near the White Horse Pub in Darlington

A teenage boy was rushed to hospital after he reportedly set himself on fire in a field near a popular pub in Darlington.

A boy was reportedly using petrol at the time and is believed to have accidently set himself alight, police believe. The 15-year-old was found injured in a field close to the White Horse Pub on Harrowgate Hill on Monday evening (August 4).

Great North Air Ambulance Service were called to the scene and the boy was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. According to the latest update on his condition, the boy remains stable in hospital.

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Police have described the incident as a 'tragic accident' (stock)(Image: Getty Images)

The North East Ambulance Service said the boy suffered burns to his lower body after emergency services were called around 5pm.

Police have confirmed that the incident is currently not being treated as criminal but is believed to be a "tragic accident"

A spokesperson for the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: "We had a paramedic and doctor on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 5.11pm.

"Our team worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service to assess and treat a patient and airlifted them to hospital."

A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: "Police were called just after 5.05pm yesterday (August 3) following reports that a teenage boy had suffered burns in Darlington.

"The incident is thought to have happened in a field near the White Horse Pub, in Harrowgate Hill.

"A 15-year-old boy is believed to have been using petrol when it was accidentally set alight."

"He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, for treatment where he remains today in a stable condition.

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"The incident is thought to have been a tragic accident and is not currently being treated as criminal."

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