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Mum shares warning after her and her daughter were nearly killed when a decorative tabletop burner exploded and engulfed them in flames.

Kate Collins and her daughter, Eva, 5, were sitting opposite the device when the host filled it up with liquid ethanol, causing it to blast into a giant fireball, Nine News reported.

The pair were chatting with friends at a home in Port Kennedy, near Perth, on April 27 when the burner exploded, leaving them and two others with burns.

Mrs Collins was rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital and Eva to Perth Children’s Hospital, where she nearly died five days later when her bloodstream turned septic.

Nine reported Eva suffered burns to 20 per cent of her body and required several surgeries for her injuries, which included third-degree burns down her left arm and torso.

Her mother, who has since been discharged, received burns to 15 per cent of her body, particularly down her legs, arms and hands.

Eva has been stabilised but was expected to remain in hospital for several weeks.

Her parents have issued a warning to others in the hope of avoiding future accidents, urging households to stop using burners and to throw them out.

“If we stop this happening to even one more family it will have been worth it,” Mrs Collins told the publication.

It has been reported portable decorative ethanol burners have been banned from sale across Australia since July 2017.

We wish them both a speedy recovery

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  • Oh my gosh, that is so scary!
    I wouldn’t trust anything that looked like that to be inside a house tbh, especially x3!!!
    I feel like things like that belong outside because it’s an open flame and using liquid ethanol?! Crazy!!!
    Hope they are all well and recovered now.

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  • This is just devastating. I had never heard of them before, but will steer well clear of them now.

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  • Wow! I’ve actually never heard of these before and never want to! I hope they’re healing up quickly.

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  • Oh my goodness!! I hope they recover as best they can. How terrifying and painful!

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  • Terrible for them I hope they make a quick and full recovery.

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  • Woah ! Bless them, hope they recover well.
    Ethanol i super dangerous to use at home and personally I certainly wouldn’t use it with kids around.

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  • very scary

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  • Omg wow. I have a table top one and will never use it. Thanks for shedding light

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  • Ethanol is a fuel used in some motor vehicles. It is NOT safe to ignite it or have in the vicinity of a flame at all. The vapour in the air can ignite and cause an explosion.

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  • What a terrible ordeal for the family.

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  • How very awful. I didn’t know such things existed.


    • Me either – the warning has been taken on board.

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  • Every sympathy – this is just horrific – wishing them well.

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  • Oh my god how awful. These poor people. So glad it’s out there how dangerous these items are. Letting people know is the only way to stop more injuries

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  • That is so terrifying so people have these in their homes

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  • Oh my. What a scare for both of them! They were burned really badly! :-(

    Reply

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