Texas mom suffers severe burns after hand sanitizer explosion

Texas mom was severely burned after her hand sanitizer allegedly caught fire as she was trying to light a candle.

Kate Wise, mother-of-three, says she was lucky to survive the horrific incident leaving her with ‘head to toe’ second-and third-degree burns, The U.S. Sun reports.

Over the weekend, shortly after Kate had put off-brand sanitizer on her hand, she went to light a candle. She then caught fire on the place she had just put on the product. What is even worse, the flame allegedly made contact with the bottle of sanitizer, and it resulted in an explosion.

Ms. Wise told KHOU that in just seconds, her ‘whole body was just consumed in flames’.

Credits: Kathryn Bonesteel/GoFundMe

While still covered in flames, the woman grabbed her disabled daughter and her dog out of the home, while her two other children rushed to get help.

According to a GoFundMe page established by a friend of Kate, she suffered ‘burns from head to toe, second and third-degree’.

The organizers of the campaign described the severity of the explosion as ‘bomb-like’. 

Confirming the incident to People, Will Hampton, a spokesperson for the Round Rock Fire Department, said:

“What appears to have happened is she used hand sanitizer and then went to light a candle — and hand sanitizer is flammable. This stuff is at least 62 percent alcohol, so folks need to be careful.”

Hampton also revealed that Ms. Wise suffered burns to 18% of her body.

Credits: Facebook/Norvelle Kathryn Bonesteel

The mom is now recovering in ICU in Austin, Texas. Meanwhile, her children are dealing with the trauma of witnessing the horrific scene. Kate said the explosion was ‘something that you never want your kids to see’. She added:

“I think that part kind of killed me just because it’s something I never wanted them to have to go through.”

As the fundraiser page states, Kate wants to spread awareness, ‘to help prevent this from happening to others’.

The accident occurred as experts are warning people that flammable liquids and direct sunlight can make hand sanitizer explode.

As per CBS News, the Food and Drug Administration has also been urging consumers to avoid a growing list of hand sanitizers that may contain toxic substances. The FDA has also warned that some of the sanitizers may not be effective enough in eliminating the virus.

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