8-year-old girl, father suffer 'severe burns' after Phoenix backyard explosion

An 8-year-old girl and her father suffered "severe burns" after a fire in a north Phoenix home on Saturday evening, officials said.

The father was spraying gasoline into a fire pit of wood about 6 p.m. when it ignited and burned him and his daughter, according to Jonathan Howard, a Phoenix police spokesman. 

The girl suffered burns to her torso and lower extremities, and her father was treated for burns to his wrists and legs, officials said. They were taken to an area hospital.

A GoFundMe created for the girl Sunday said she had burns on 50 percent of her body and had been placed in a medically induced coma. The page raised $4,500 in seven hours for the girl's medical expenses.

Phoenix police were investigating the incident.

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