Toddler stable after fire horror at home

Badly burnt Martinborough toddler Arna Hopkins is in a serious but stable condition, with her family at her bedside.

Arna, 3, suffered severe burns to her body and face last week, after setting fire to her clothes at her home.

She had been lighting a candle for twin sister Mila, who was born with Down syndrome, and died of an infection last month.

Arna's father, Regan, badly burned his hands saving her.

He has joined his wife Penny at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital with their two older children, aged 5 and 6.

"It's an incredibly stressful time for them; they are just focusing on their little girl, and hanging out for a significant improvement," Arna's uncle, Kane Hopkins, said.

Arna had surgery yesterday to assess and treat her burns. She is not strong enough for skin grafts.

- © Fairfax NZ News