Burn injury in Phoenix: hot surfaces, scalds and where burns are treated
Serious burns in Phoenix go to the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health. It says it is the only adult and pediatric burn center in the state verified by the American Burn Association. A chemical or electrical burn is a 911 call. The center admitted 136 patients with severe burns in summer 2023, up from 85 the year before. A suit over a burn against a private party generally has a 2-year limit.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (32)
Where are serious burns treated in Phoenix?
The Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health opened in 1965. It says it is the first and only adult and pediatric burn center in Arizona verified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons. Valleywise's burn center treats more than 8,000 patients a year, and more than 1,600 of them are admitted.
Children are a big part of the caseload. The center says 20 percent of its patients are children and teens, including scalds from hot water in soups, microwave noodles and baths. Valleywise is at 2601 E. Roosevelt, and it is also a state-designated Level I trauma center.
Can hot pavement or concrete burn you in Phoenix?
Yes, and fast. The burn center's director said outdoor surface temperatures can reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and deep burns can happen with only brief contact. The center treats contact burns from superheated surfaces including asphalt and concrete.
In June to August 2023, 136 patients were admitted with severe burns, up from 85 in 2022.
A hot-surface burn is not always someone's legal fault. A claim may exist if a hazard made you fall onto the surface, or a person or business left someone helpless in the heat. Ask about it instead of assuming.
How serious is my burn?
| Burn | What it looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Partial thickness | Both skin layers, with blistering | Hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks or a major joint call for urgent care |
| Full thickness | Deep layers, white or blackened, may be numb | The most serious burns can be painless |
| Airway burn | From smoke, steam or chemical fumes | Breathing can be affected |
Watch for infection: pus, fever, more pain or red streaks spreading from the burn. A major burn needs urgent care, and that care can lower the risk of scarring, disability and deformity.
What other burns end up in a Phoenix claim?
- Hot water. Burns happen after 6 seconds at 140 degrees or 30 seconds at 130 degrees.
- Faulty heaters, furnaces or industrial equipment.
- Fires. Phoenix Fire investigators try to find the origin and cause, but the department no longer keeps fire reports. Phoenix Police Public Records, at (602) 534-1127, is where to ask for a fire report.
- Battery fires. Phoenix Fire publishes battery incident reports on its data page.
- Work. An employer must report an in-patient hospitalization or amputation within 24 hours, and the Industrial Commission handles workers' comp as a no-fault system.
What happens after a burn hospital stay?
The road is long. Of the summer 2023 burn patients, 59 percent needed more care and went to another facility for post-acute care. They stayed 12 days on average, and many needed skin grafts.
Scarring after burns can limit movement, which doctors call contracture. A claim should count rehab, grafts and future surgery, not only the first bill.
How long do I have to file a burn injury claim in Phoenix?
A suit over a burn against a private party generally must be filed within 2 years. Time under 18 does not count toward a child's deadline. If the City of Phoenix is involved, file a notice of claim within 180 days. The suit against the public body must then be filed within one year.
Arizona does not limit the amount recovered by statute. A hospital or ambulance service may file a lien against what you recover.
Questions
What if my child was scalded at a Phoenix school or daycare?
Treat it as a possible public body claim if a school district is involved, with a 180-day notice. Time as a minor may not count toward the lawsuit deadline.
Can I sue for a burn from a space heater?
Possibly. Known burn causes include faulty space heaters, furnaces and industrial equipment. Keep the heater and the packaging.
Do I need to go to the burn center?
Not for every burn. Call 911 for chemical or electrical burns, and get urgent care for burns on the hands, feet, face, groin or a major joint.
Burn injury in Phoenix? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (32)
- Valleywise Health, Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “first and only adult and pediatric burn center in Arizona verified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “The burn is caused by chemicals or electricity.”
- Valleywise Health, Arizona Burn Center news release, June 11, 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “136 patients were admitted with severe burns, up from 85 in 2022”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- Valleywise Health, Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “cares for more than 8,000 burn patients and admits more than 1,600 adult and pediatric patients”
- Valleywise Health, Arizona Burn Center news release, June 11, 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “External surface temperatures can reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “The most serious burns can be painless.”
- Valleywise Health, Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “A sizable portion — 20 percent — of our patients are children and teens”
- A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-09. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
- Arizona DHS, State Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Valleywise Health 2601 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ 85008 12/19/24 12/19/27”
- Valleywise Health, Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “contact burns from exposure to superheated surfaces including asphalt and concrete”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Partial-thickness burns (formerly known as second-degree burns) affect both the outer and underlying layer of skin.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Second-degree burns on the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks, or over a major joint”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Full-thickness burns (formerly known as third-degree burns) affect the deep layers of skin.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “You can also burn your airways if you breathe in smoke, steam, superheated air, or chemical fumes”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Red streaks spreading from the burn”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Major burns need urgent medical care. This can help prevent scarring, disability, and deformity.”
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, checked 2026-11-09. “Burns will also occur with a six-second exposure to 140 degree water or with a thirty second exposure to 130 degree water.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Faulty space heaters, furnaces, or industrial equipment”
- Phoenix Fire Department, checked 2026-11-09. “to attempt to determine the origin and cause of fires and to identify factors or persons responsible for causing a specific fire.”
- Phoenix Fire Department, checked 2026-11-09. “Fire Investigation Reports are no longer maintained at the Phoenix Fire Department. Please contact Phoenix Police Department Public Records and Services Unit at: (602) 534-1127”
- Phoenix Fire Department, checked 2026-11-09. “Find battery incident reports from the Phoenix Fire Department”
- OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.”
- Industrial Commission of Arizona, checked 2026-11-08. “you receive medical and compensation benefits no matter who caused the job-related accident.”
- Valleywise Health, Arizona Burn Center news release, June 11, 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “59 percent, required additional care and were discharged to another facility for post-acute care”
- Valleywise Health, Arizona Burn Center news release, June 11, 2024, checked 2026-11-09. “On average, patients remained hospitalized for 12 days.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scarring after traumatic injury or burns”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-09. “All actions against any public entity or public employee shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward.”
- Arizona Constitution, art. 18, § 6, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount recovered shall not be subject to any statutory limitation”
- A.R.S. § 33-931, checked 2026-11-09. “is entitled to a lien for the care and treatment or transportation of an injured person”
- A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”