Jeff Foltz/Facebook
"Just be careful, because it's a life-changer, it can rip your whole world apart in the blink of an eye," the woman's widower said
A mother of five is dead and her 11-year-old son was hospitalized after a fire pit accident rocked a family in Florida.
Nicole Foltz, 38, of Tarpon Springs was out in her backyard with family and friends on November 14, with a fire lit to keep the bugs away. At one point her husband, Jeff, went inside and Nicole, to the best of his knowledge "decided to try to keep the fire going, keep the fun going, and she put another log on it." When there still wasn't much of a flame, Nicole, he told FOX 13, "felt to pour a little gas on it, and it would reignite, and it did. I guess it must’ve traveled the gas stream up to the gas can, and it exploded in her hands."
Jeff told WFTS that the can blew up "in her hands which caused her to run, panic and she actually stopped, dropped and rolled like you are supposed to." She suffered burns on nearly 100% of her body, with Jeff telling the outlet "the only place on her body that wasn't burnt was a minimal patch of hair."
She died at the hospital three days later. The couple's 11-year-old son, Jeffrey, was also seriously burned in the incident.
"I was at his bedside 24 hours a day, slept right next to him in the chair, didn't move," Jeff told WTSP. "I stayed as strong as I can for him and for her and for the rest of our family."
Jeff shared a photo of him and the bandaged boy in the hospital on Facebook (above right), captioning the photo, "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. I am thankful to all for the love and sometimes overwhelming support that I know is needed. WE LOVE ALL OF YOU!"
The child -- who had second and third-degree burns -- was released after 12 days in the hospital, while a GoFundMe started for the family has already raised more than $28,000. Per the page, all donations "will assist the family with Nicole's funeral costs, her hospital bills, young Jeffrey's existing and ongoing hospital bills for skin graphs and long-term rehabilitation, childcare, and ongoing living expenses for the surviving family of six who are now without Nicole's income."
Nicole's husband hopes her death makes others "think twice before using gasoline" on fires in the future.
"It's definitely not safe, but everyone's done it, everyone does it," he said. "Just be careful, because it's a life-changer, it can rip your whole world apart in the blink of an eye."
"It's just one of those senseless acts you don't expect to happen in your family," he added. "Gasoline is not a joke when it comes to fire. You have to be careful or just don't do it at all."
"I don't want to read about somebody else's family having to go through this," Jeff concluded. "It's unimaginable."
