“Her hair, her hoodie, her arms, everything was on fire”: a teenager with third-degree burns to the face after an explosion while camping

A teenager who was seriously burned after the combustion liquid exploded during a fondue dinner has already managed to return to basketball thanks to her great resilience.

“She has extreme strength that I don’t have,” confides Frédéric Marceau about his daughter, Lily-Rose, who shows great resilience.

On June 29, the Chicoutimi family sat down for dinner in the gazebo at the campsite in Saint-Honoré. As usual, everyone had an individual stove, which heats with gel fuel.

“We had opened the windows for ventilation,” explains the mother, Hélène Boulay, auxiliary nurse.

However, there was a lot of humidity in the air after a day of rain.

Even today, the origin of the explosion is unclear, reports Mr. Marceau, who is an electrician and volunteer firefighter. While he was filling a pan with a container of gel fuel, it caught fire. The firefighters' investigation did not provide them with a clear answer.

“It’s an accident,” said the father. I think the gas (from the other stoves) spread onto the table, it got into the gallon and the fire came out through the neck. I can still see the fireball leaving.”

“Everything was on fire”

“It was a blast!” relates M^me Boulay, who was burned on the thigh.

Sitting just opposite, Lily-Rose received the flame on her upper body.

“His hair, his hoodie, his arms, everything was on fire,” his father recalls.

Luckily, Lily-Rose's older brother rushed to get a cushion and put out his burning sister.

“My brother is my savior,” confides the young victim who lost her long hair.

Transported by plane to the Montreal Children's Hospital, the teenager spent around twenty days in a coma. She suffered third-degree burns on several parts of her body: face, ears, arms, hands, chest and neck.

She received skin autografts to heal. Today, Lily-Rose has returned to school and basketball practice thanks to clothing adapted to protect her skin.

Never again like before

Despite her great resilience, the three physiotherapy sessions per week cause frustration, admits Lily-Rose.

“She knows it will never come back to the way it was before,” confides her mother, still scarred by the accident.

His father also has difficulty forgetting the explosion.

“Sometimes I get lost in my thoughts,” confides the man who feels guilty. If I could make a deal with the Devil and come back a day early, I would.”

“It happened, we can’t go back,” her daughter philosophizes. I told him so many times it wasn’t his fault.”

One thing is certain: the family will never again make fondue with gel fuel.

“It’s electric stoves now!”, swears M^me Boulay smiling.

Grafted thanks to his scalp

A thin layer of Lily-Rose's scalp was grafted onto her face, a section of skin often used for severe burn victims.

“It’s the best place because in terms of coloring, it’s most similar to the color of the face,” explains Dr.^re Sabrina Cugno, plastic surgeon at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

And for all those wondering: no hair will grow back on the patient's face later.

“Hair follicles are in the fatty layer of the scalp. But we only take a superficial layer,” explains the children’s specialist.

To succeed in the autograft, Lily-Rose had her hair shaved. Six months later, they have already started to grow back.

In total, the 13-year-old patient underwent three surgeries for her transplants. Part of the skin from the lower back was also used. Normally, she is considered “cured,” but further surgeries may be needed later.

“It is still in the healing phase for the first year, we will have to monitor to minimize the scars,” concludes the D^re Cugno, satisfied with the result.