The incident prompted a major emergency response near a pub.

By Berk Uyal, Live News Content Editor/Reporter

15:44, Tue, Aug 4, 2026 Updated: 15:45, Tue, Aug 4, 2026

The White Horse Pub, in Harrowgate Hill, Darlington,

The White Horse Pub, in Harrowgate Hill, Darlington, (Image: Google)

A boy has been airlifted to hospital after accidentally setting himself alight with petrol in a field near a pub in Darlington. The 15-year-old was injured near the White Horse Pub in Harrowgate Hill on Monday evening. Police believe he had been using petrol when it was accidentally set alight. He was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he remains in a stable condition.

The North East Ambulance Service said the teenager suffered burns to his lower body after crews were called to the scene shortly before 5pm. An ambulance crew and the Great North Air Ambulance Service attended before he was flown to hospital for specialist treatment. Officers confirmed that the incident is currently not being treated as criminal.

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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."

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service did not attend the incident.

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.

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