A mother-of-five died tragically after suffering burns to her entire body while trying to relight a fire pit in her backyard.
38-year-old Nicole Foltz from Tarpon Springs, Florida, suffered burns to 100% of her body after a botched attempt to relight the fire that went out in their backyard.
According to the reports, the woman added wood to the nearly extinguished fire before using a gas canister to pour some fuel over it in an attempt to make the wood catch fire faster.
While doing so, however, the gasoline immediately ignited and the canister that Nicole was holding in her hands exploded, dousing the mom-of-five in flames that she desperately tried to put out to no avail.
“She put another log on the fire. She poured the gas into it, and it ignited and blew the can up in her hands which caused her to run, panic. She actually stopped, dropped and rolled like you’re supposed to,” her husband, Jeff, recalled in an interview with WFTS.
In a heartbreaking post following the mother’s death, Jeff also paid his wife a tribute saying he was speechless in his grief.
“We are on the path of recovery and healing in so many ways. I’m usually a man of many words but I’m left speechless in my grief. She is truly missed in so many ways,” he wrote on Facebook as he shared a photo of himself holding his wife’s bandaged hand.
“I am thankful to all of the love and sometimes overwhelming support that I know is needed.”
While Nicole succumbed to her injuries, her 11-year-old son is expected to live but remains in the hospital for treatment of his second and third-degree burns.
Meanwhile, friends and relatives of the devoted mother and wife shared touching tributes to Nicole and started a GoFundMe page for her family.
“The sudden and tragic loss of Nicole Foltz devastated our community. The backyard firepit accident also severely injured Nicole’s son, Jeffrey. Please help us come together to support Nicole’s husband, Jeff, young Jeffrey, and her other four remaining children,” her co-workers wrote.
“Nicole was loved so much because she truly loved life. Nicole worked as a server/manager at The Tarpon Tavern for many years. Her radiant smile always filled the room.
“She was always there for everyone – there for every relative, every friend, every customer, every coworker, every birthday, every anniversary, every day for everyone. We will miss Nicole, but our memories of her are eternal.”
Ania Bozena, the owner of the tavern where Nicole worked, added: “She always put a smile on everyone’s face. She absolutely loved her work where everybody adored her not just for her hard work, but also personality and friendship.
“She was a devoted wife to her amazing husband Jeff. But most of all, she was a great mother who always put her family first… we miss her terribly.”
Our thoughts are with the Foltz family during this tragic time.
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