A Piney Grove Middle School student badly burned in a weekend accident has been transferred to a pediatric burn clinic in Ohio, a friend of the family reported.

Dan Vazquez said in an e-mail that Daniel Deleon was taken Wednesday morning to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Cincinnati, where he is expected to spend the next year undergoing surgery and therapy.

“They are one of the leading pediatric burn clinics in America and will take care of every need of Danny DeLeon and his family,” wrote Vazquez, adding that he hopes funds can be raised to help the family.

Forsyth County fire officials have said Deleon, 13, was burned Sunday afternoon when he reportedly tried to light a grill with gasoline.

Deleon was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta after the incident, which occurred about 3 p.m. Sunday at 2895 Chadbourne Trail in south Forsyth.

Deleon, an eighth-grader at Piney Grove, suffered severe burns. Forsyth County Fire Capt. Jason Shivers said Deleon appeared to have suffered extensive second- and third-degree burns to more than 70 percent of his body.

The teen attempted to use gas to reignite coals in the grill from a previous fire, triggering an explosion.

Shivers explained that burns range from first to third degree, with third being the most severe.

Shivers said the fire department received several 911 calls from residents who heard the explosion and thought a propane tank had blown up.

Forsyth County School officials have said that counselors and teachers are available to Piney Grove students who want to talk about the situation.