Jennifer Jefferies, age 11, of Charlotte, N.C., for her question:

WHAT ARE THIRD DEGREE BURNS?

A burn is a painful injury that may prove fatal if severe or if they cover a large area of the body. A burn can be caused by fire, hot metals, chemicals, radiation or electricity.

A burn is classified by the depth of the tissue injury.

A first degree burn is one in which the surface is red and painful, but the skin is not broken or blistered. A typical first degree burn can come from sunburn.

A second degree burn is one in which blisters are formed on the skin while a third degree burn is deep, with charring and actual destruction of the skin and tissue.

Second  and third degree burns can often become infected and from this point they are doubly very serious.