A toddler has suffered horrific burns after being scalded by a pot of boiling water at an event in North Wales.
Austin Stewart, from Bebington, was with his family at a 1940s festival weekend at Carrog Station when boiling water toppled from a stove and gushed down on him.
The two-year-old was screaming in pain as the water burned his entire right side and both legs down to his knees.
He was airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where he is expected to need to stay for at least a week.
Austin's mum Anneka Hulse and his dad Alexander Stewart had taken their son to the Llangollen Railway wartime themed event where the accident happened on Saturday (April 13).
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Miss Hulse told NorthWalesLive : "There was someone cooking on a stove which was quite low to the ground and there was a pot or old style kettle on it.
"Austin was trying on the hats and walking a couple of feet away when he caught his foot on the stove and it came off and fell on him."
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In the aftermath horrified onlookers helped douse Austin with cold water and first responders were forced to improvise because they didn't have enough cold compress pads for his injuries.
Austin was put in an empty bin where he was continually doused with cold water and his mum said "it looked like steam" was coming off him.
Miss Hulse believes the quick thinking actions of people nearby may have saved some of her son's skin.
She added: "The lady kept getting water to pour on Austin, and I think she saved some of his skin. He was in shock and it looked like there was steam coming off him as they poured the water on him.
"I was in shock at the time and everything was a bit of a blur. You just don't expect these things to happen. Alexander was very good. He was helping to get his clothing off."
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Now covered in bandages, Austin is expected to be in hospital for at lease a week and the full extent of the damage caused by the burs won't be known until doctors examine his wounds on Tuesday.
Miss Hulse added: "He's got quite bad burns. The hospital is not sure whether he is going to need skin grafts. He had to be put to sleep last night and he's bandaged from head to toe. He's in a pretty bad way."
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A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said they were called to treat a burns victim at around 11.45am on Saturday, and the child was flown to Alder Hey for treatment.
Miss Hulse added: "I'm still in total shock. It doesn't feel real that something like this would happen at an event like that. You just don't think there would be something there that would that to a child."
Liz McGuinness, business manager at Llangollen Railway said: “Llangollen Railway very much regrets the unfortunate accident in which a young boy was badly injured by boiling water near Carrog station on Sunday afternoon during our 1940s themed weekend.
“Myself and volunteers involved in the event, which until this happened had been a very successful and enjoyable two-day occasion, are all extremely upset about what took place.
“We can only hope that the little boy is not too badly injured and is able to make a speedy and full recovery.
“I would like to thank everyone who came to the boy’s assistance following the incident and members of the emergency services who attended at the scene and so swiftly arranged his transfer to hospital.
“Immediately after the accident took place I ordered a full internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding it and this is now underway.”
