Tributes have been paid to a tragic youngster who died in hospital yesterday after suffering severe burns when a prank went wrong.
Preston Flores’s family said their lives had been “ripped apart” by the loss of the seven-year-old, who had been receiving specialist treatment in Edinburgh.
Preston was left with burns to 80% of his body after being found on fire in an Aberdeen street on Friday afternoon.
The local community has been united in grief and floral tributes have been laid in his memory at the scene of the incident in Bedford Avenue.
Yesterday his mother Luisza Flores described him as a precious little boy who meant the world to his family.
“He will always be deeply missed and loved. Preston was a special little boy and his loss has ripped our family apart,” she said.
“On behalf of our family I would like to thank everyone for their support but would ask that we are now allowed to grieve in peace for Preston.”
The youngster was a P3 pupil at Sunnybank School, where acting head teacher Michelle McKay said it was a tragic time for his family, the school, and everyone connected to it. “Preston was a lively and competitive little boy who loved football, PE and all sorts of outdoor activities, as well as board games, baking and building with Lego,” she said.
“He was a fun-loving boy with a great sense of humour and lots of friends. He loved his family too, and was always sharing with us the latest news about his new baby brother.”
She added: “We are all supporting each other and I am sure that, together, we will find ways of coming to terms with our loss.”
Preston had been playing with two cousins aged six and nine in Bedford Avenue when the horrific accident happened. The group are understood to have taken petrol from a council van and planned to set a fire.
Soon afterwards, shocked neighbours saw Preston running down the street, screaming and crying, on fire from the neck down.
After initially receiving treatment in Aberdeen, he was transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, where he died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
His mother, Luisza, 32, and father Keith Will – who have three other children, Dylan, 17, Shanelle, 11, and one-year-old Leighton – kept a vigil at Preston’s bedside.
Aberdeen City Council leader Barney Crockett said Preston’s tragic death has left the local community and whole city in shock.
A council spokesman said the local authority was investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Police have said there is no suggestion that the youngster was the victim of a deliberate act. A report on his death will be sent to the procurator fiscal.