'The flame wouldn't go out - it just kept reigniting': Mother and daughter, 5, suffer horrific burns after decorative gas burner explodes at dinner party
- A young girl and her mother have suffered horrific burns after a freak accident
- Kate Collins and five-year-old Eva had been at a party at a friend's home in Perth
- The host had been refiling the burner with liquid ethanol when it exploded
A mother and her young daughter suffered horrific burns when a massive fireball erupted in front of them in a freak accident at a dinner party.
Kate Collins and five-year-old Eva had been at a friend's home in Perth on April 27 when a decorative gas burner sitting on the table exploded.
The group had been chatting at the table when the host began to refill the burner with liquid ethanol.
Kate Collins and five-year-old Eva suffered horrific burns when a decorative burner exploded at a dinner party
Mrs Collins has recalled seeing a fireball erupt in front of her.
'It literally just went up immediately, in a huge big flash of fire. As a parent you feel so helpless,' she told 9News.
Her clothes and hair caught fire immediately.
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'I ran into the house. I dropped and rolled because that is what you are taught as a child.
'But, because it was liquid flame, it wouldn’t go out, it just kept on reigniting. It was scary so I stripped my clothes off and was just patting at my hair trying to get the flames out.'
Her ordeal was far from over, as moments later she discovered her daughter Eva had been burned too.
Eva, 5, is still in hospital after suffering horrific burns to 20 per cent of her body
Mrs Collins has revealed the horror of trying to extinguish the flames before realising her daughter had been burned too
Since the horrific incident, Mrs Collins has warned others to be wary of gas burners
Mrs Collins began to ladle water over Eva's tiny body as she waited for paramedics to arrive.
She collapsed soon after rescuers arrived.
The five-year-old suffered third-degree burns down her left arm and body.
She was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital.
Mrs Collins was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital and was discharged from hospital this week.
Eva remained in hospital after an infection in her bloodstream turned septic.
Her condition stabilised after she was treated with intravenous antibiotics but she will have to stay in hospital for a few more weeks.
Since the horrific incident, Mrs Collins has urged to be wary of gas burners.
'Please, anyone with ANYTHING even remotely similar that burns ethanol - please dispose of it,' she shared on Facebook.
Decorative alcohol fuelled burners were banned by the Federal Government in 2017 after more than 100 reported injuries and 115 fire incidents since 2010.
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