9-year-old Orange County boy set on fire, recovering at Shriners Hospital

Questions surround cause of fire as investigation continues

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 9-year-old Orange County child continues to recover from second- and third-degree burns as questions continue to surround how the boy caught fire last weekend. 

Chanise Harris told News 6 her son, Zylon Hylick, was playing down the street from their Orlando home when he caught fire. 

"He was saying the fire came out of nowhere, but the kids are saying his friend had gasoline in a Gatorade bottle and a lighter and somehow my son was set on fire," Harris explained. 

Zylon has to be moved from Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio, due to the severity of his burns. 

Zylon's Recovery

HELP FOR A 9-YEAR-OLD: This is video of Zylon, who is recovering from burns all over his body. His burns were so bad he had to be tranferred from Orlando to a burn hospital in Ohio. There's still plenty of questions surrounding how this happened, but his mother says a friend may have "accidentally" set her son on fire. Here's a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with medical expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/1rypcjfyyo

Posted by Clay LePard News 6 on Friday, October 11, 2019

"My son, he plays in that same spot every day, and for this to happen was a big shock to me," Harris added. "How did they get gasoline? How did they get a lighter? That to me is a big shock." 

News 6 contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Office.  

"Our detectives are investigating," a spokesperson said. "There are no criminal charges at this time. However, it’s the very early stages of the investigation." 

But Zylon's mother told News 6 she's focused on her son's recovery. 

Zylon Hylick suffered second and third degree burns while playing with friends, his family says.

"I don't want to place the blame really on the any of the children," Harris added. "They're children, and I understand things happen. He really misses everyone. He misses Orlando and his family and his friends." 

Zylon has his own message to share. 

"Thank you everyone for your love and support," he said in a video. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Zylon's family pay for medical expenses.

Zylon has already undergone two surgeries and is set for another next week. 

"After that, it's more therapy to get his strength back and help him heal so we can return home from the burn hospital," Harris said.


About the Author:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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