Woman seriously burned after birthday cake candles set her clothes on fire

[jnelsoninjax]

A pensioner has suffered serious burns after the candles on her birthday cake set her clothes on fire at a hairdressing salon.

The woman, thought to be in her 80s, was visiting John Hemingway Hair in Wallasey Village, Merseyside, when the fire broke out at 12.20pm today.

It is believed a member of staff from the salon also suffered burns while trying to help the woman by using his hands to extinguish the flames.

The flames were out by the time two crews from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene.

Firefighters are now investigating the cause of the blaze but it is thought the candles from the birthday cake may have started the fire.

The woman and the man were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Upton, Wirral, before being transferred to the burns unit at Whiston Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside.

Group manager Paul Murphy, district manager for the Wirral, said: 'Firefighters administered first aid to the woman and requested an ambulance. Firefighters also gave the elderly woman oxygen.

'Another man was also taken to hospital with burns to his hands after it is thought he tried to put out the flames.'

A police spokesman said the candles ignited vapour around the woman which engulfed her in flames.

Source

[perochan]

used too much hair spray?

[theyarecomingforyou]

Clothes rarely catch fire in such a dramatic way. As the police spokesman confirms, it was vapour in the air - presumably from hair spray products - that caused the incident. It was entirely predictable and preventable, which is the real tragedy of this story.

[JM_558]

Shocking.... we should be very very careful

[Growled Member]

How many candles did they have on that cake?

[*RedBull*]

Too much hairspray...not enough cowbell.

Need more cowbell.

[ShMaunder]

What idiot lighted candles in a place full of aerosols that were at the time in use? For this to happen, there must have been a lot of them in use as well.

This reminds me of the [silly] woman that dispensed petrol from one can to the other in her kitchen, also with the cooker on.

[+Warwagon MVC]