Texas mother in ICU after hand sanitizer exploded like a ‘bomb’, engulfed her in flames while lighting candle
As sanitizers continue to be the most demanded and required product during the COVID-19 pandemic, one wouldn't think it could lead to any dangerous circumstances after usage. This unfortunately was not the case for a young mom of three from Texas. Katie Wise, went through a horrific incident last Sunday after suffering burns from lighting a candle with hands she had sanitized a bit prior. According to Daily Mail, there was an explosion when the sanitizer bottle made contact with the flame of the candle leading to Wise suffering second and third-degree burns to her body.
Wise, who is a mother of three children living in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, is now healing in an ICU and had said that she had used sanitizer before trying to light a candle. The GoFundMe page set up for Wise by her best friend, Kathryn Bonesteel, titled 'Help Mom of 3 in ICU from Hand Sanitizer Explosion' explains the incident and its after-effects. The Daily Mail reported that when Wise had jumped back because she had burned her hand, she had also touched the sanitizer bottle that made contact with the candle and "exploded like a bomb." The burns had affected her face, hands, and feet.
The online fundraiser page currently has $10,326 raised of it's $100,000 target as many comments wished Wise good health and encouraging her healing process. The page further revealed that two of Wise's daughter ran over to their neighbors to call emergency services while Wise was able to save her third 14-year-old differently-abled daughter and family dog out of the home. She explained to KHOU11, "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."
She told CBS Austin, "This is a pain that I can’t even explain it. It’s literally your whole body, like your whole being, your nerves, muscles, it’s everything. Absolutely everything." The online fundraise further revealed that Wise has lost her furniture because of smoke damage along with "other possessions" because of the fire. "She's lost her home, her kids are traumatized and she needs major reconstructive surgery," said Bonesteel. The page contains graphic images of Wise's painful injuries along with images of the house's damages.
Bonesteel also further wrote that she blamed the "off-brand" sanitizer saying, "COVID-19 has brought many unsafe products to our shelves. Many of which have not been properly tested and are not safe. Be careful of what you put on your body. Make sure what you are using is FDA approved." The GoFundMe page also revealed that Wise still needs to care for her three daughters while she heals in the hospital explaining that she needs a home, furniture, and clothes along with paying for all the surgeries she has undergone and will undergo in the future. "Kate wants to spread awareness of what happened to her to help prevent this from happening to others," said Bonesteel.