Baltimore Sun

Two state agencies have launched investigations of a Northwest Baltimore salon where a woman was badly burned Saturday after a bowl of heated acetone ignited while she was having her artificial nails removed.

The action by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health and the state Board of Cosmetologists comes two days after Niquita Andrews, 35, was burned at the Nail Studio in the 5400 block of Reisterstown Road.

The Owings Mills woman had been soaking her hands in a small machine that heated acetone when the flammable chemical ignited, said Kevin Cartwright, a Baltimore fire spokesman. The liquid splashed onto Andrews’ arms and hands and into her lap, causing second-degree burns on 40 percent of her body, he said. Cartwright said his department is still determining what ignited the acetone.