Off-brand hand sanitizer catches fire, woman severely burned
ROUND ROCK, Texas -- A Texas woman said she was severely burned when she lit a flame after using hand sanitizer.
Kate Wise said she used an off brand hand sanitizer before lighting a candle in her home near Austin, Texas.
"The explosion happened in a matter of two seconds with my entire body on fire," she said. "I heard my daughters screaming, 'Mom's on fire, mom's on fire.'"
The mother of three said her two youngest girls, just six and seven years old, were able to escape. Kate was left battling the flames to save her teenage daughter, Evelyn, who has cerebral palsy.
"I knew, even in the chaos of things, that she wasn't going to be able to save herself," Kate said. "So my next mission was to get myself to her room, even though I'm unable to see, and my skin is sizzling."
After getting Evelyn to safety, Kate spent several days in the ICU.
"Even though I'm in excruciating pain, I'm trying to do what I can do to get back to 100%," she said.
Hand sanitizers continue to fly off the shelves during the pandemic.
Although the CDC says fire incidents related to alcohol-based hand sanitizers are very low, the National Fire Protection Agency considers them a flammable liquid.
Kate says the true heroes in all of this are her two youngest daughters who rushed out to get help from a neighbor and called 911.
Visit the FDA's website for any questions on hand sanitizer brands and how to use them properly.
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