Burn injury in Tempe: where treatment is and who may be responsible
Arizona's burn center is Valleywise Health's Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix, which calls itself the state's only nationally verified one. For a chemical or electrical burn, call 911 first. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue responds. Deadlines: generally 2 years to sue, and 180 days if a public body is involved.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (29)
Where do burn victims from Tempe get treated?
Most serious burns go to Valleywise Health in Phoenix, home of the Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center. Valleywise calls it Arizona's only nationally verified burn center. It says it cares for more than 8,000 burn patients a year. The same hospital is a state-listed Level I trauma center at 2601 E. Roosevelt.
To schedule an appointment, the center lists 1-833-855-9973. Valleywise is a public district run by the Maricopa County Special Health Care District board. That matters only if your complaint is about the hospital itself.
How do I know how bad a burn is?
- Pain is not a guide. Some of the worst burns do not hurt at all.
- Full-thickness burns go through deep layers of skin. They can look white or blackened, and may be numb.
- Second-degree burns on the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks or over a major joint are treated as major.
- Pus, fever, more pain or red streaks point to an infection.
Chemical or electrical burns are an emergency, even if the skin looks fine. Early care helps prevent scarring, disability and deformity.
What causes burns in Tempe homes and apartments?
Some causes are local and fixable. Tempe Fire says damaged or defective lithium-ion batteries are particularly at risk of fire, and tells people not to leave devices plugged in overnight. That makes e-bike and scooter batteries a real concern in a city that just rewrote its rules for them.
Hot water is another. Burns can happen with a six-second exposure to 140 degree water, or 30 seconds at 130 degrees. In a rental, ask the landlord about the water heater setting.
Arizona landlords must make all repairs needed to keep a home fit and habitable. Tempe Code Compliance takes complaints such as no heat or air conditioning and water leaks, at (480) 350-4311.
How long does burn recovery take?
Longer than most people think. Valleywise says inpatient burn care can take weeks or months, with physical and occupational therapy as part of it. Scarring can limit movement, a problem called contracture.
Those long stays are why burn claims often include future surgery, therapy and time off work, not just the first hospital bill.
Who pays when a burn happens in Tempe?
| How it happened | Who may be responsible | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| At work | Workers' comp, plus any outside company | Employers must report hospital admissions within 24 hours |
| Rental fire or heater | Landlord or property manager | A landlord cannot excuse its own liability in a lease |
| Faulty product or battery | Maker or seller | Product claims follow the two-year deadline; a maker may have to cover the seller |
| City or public property | The public body | Claim due within 180 days |
Fault is shared by percent, so a partly-at-fault person can still recover. Children get more time. The clock does not run while they are under 18.
Questions
Should I go to the burn center directly?
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room first. The center lists 1-833-855-9973 for appointments.
Can an employer be sued for a work burn?
Usually workers' comp is the only claim against an employer, unless willful misconduct caused it. An outside company can be sued separately.
What if my phone or e-bike battery caught fire?
Save the battery and charger. Product claims in Arizona follow the two-year period.
Burn injury in Tempe? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (29)
- Valleywise Health, Arizona Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Arizona’s only nationally verified burn center”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “The burn is caused by chemicals or electricity.”
- Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Record requests by phone 480-858-7262”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “The most serious burns can be painless.”
- Valleywise Health, Arizona Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “1 (833) VLLYWSE (1-833-855-9973)”
- City of Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, Lithium-Ion Battery Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “Damaged or defective batteries are particularly at risk.”
- Valleywise Health, Burn Center Patients, checked 2026-11-09. “more than 8,000 burn patients annually”
- Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-09. “Valleywise Health 2601 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ 85008”
- Valleywise Health, About, checked 2026-11-09. “is the governing body for Maricopa Special Health Care District and Valleywise Health”
- 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. “Second-degree burns on the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks, or over a major joint”
- 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.”
- City of Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, Lithium-Ion Battery Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “Do not leave devices plugged in overnight.”
- 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.”
- A.R.S. 33-1324, checked 2026-11-09. “Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.”
- City of Tempe, Report a Building Code Violation, checked 2026-11-09. “Rental Housing Code Complaint (such as no heat/AC, water leaks, infestations”
- City of Tempe, ePermits Enforcement, checked 2026-11-09. “Please contact Code Compliance at (480) 350-4311”
- Valleywise Health, Burn Center Patients, checked 2026-11-09. “Since in-patient burn care can take weeks or months”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scarring after traumatic injury or burns”
- ADOSH, checked 2026-11-08. “All work-related fatalities within 8 hours following the incident.”
- A.R.S. 33-1315, checked 2026-11-09. “Agrees to the exculpation or limitation of any liability of the landlord arising under law”
- A.R.S. § 12-551, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be commenced and prosecuted within the period prescribed in section 12-542”
- A.R.S. § 12-684, checked 2026-11-09. “the manufacturer shall indemnify the seller for any judgment rendered against the seller”
- A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
- A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
- A.R.S. § 23-1022(A), checked 2026-11-08. “The right to recover compensation pursuant to this chapter for injuries sustained by an employee or for the death of an employee is the exclusive remedy against the employer or any co-employee acting in the scope of his employment [...] the injured employee may either claim compensation or maintain an action at law for damages against the person or entity alleged to have engaged in the wilful misconduct.”