A mom living in Round Rock, Texa,s is recovering in intensive care after nearby bottle of hand sanitizer exploded while she was trying to light a nearby candle.
via NYDN:
Kate Wise, who was left with severe burns to her entire body, said she put on hand sanitizer that she keeps handy to protect herself and three daughters from COVID-19.
The flame from the candle allegedly made contact with the off-brand sanitizer bottle and it exploded.
“It can be something as small as lighting a candle,” Wise told local news station WHOU from her hospital bed. “Because of the hand sanitizer, it just lit my whole everywhere I had hand sanitizer on my hand, it just lit my hand with fire.”
“And it obviously went all over my face,” she furthered. “And, in like a matter of five seconds, my whole body was just consumed in flames.”
Her two youngest daughters ran to neighbors to get help, while she managed to get her burning clothes off and pulled her disabled daughter and pets from the home.
Around 8 p.m., paramedics were dispatched to the home and transported Wise to a hospital in nearby Austin, with burns on 18% of her body,
“It’s something that you never want your kids to see,” Wise said. “Like, you just being up in flames so I think that part kind of killed me just because it’s something I never wanted them to have to go through.”
The Round Rock Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire.
In the meantime, Wise’s friend, Kathryn Bonesteel in Houston, launched a GoFundMe page to help her with medical expenses.
As of Friday afternoon, the crowdfunding campaign raised $3,627 of its $100,000 goal.
Let this serve as a cautionary tale — keep hand sanitizer, or any alcohol-based product, away from open flames.
