AS THE fireball mushroomed towards her, Ollie Jupps’s head, chest and arms were engulfed in blue flames.
Realising she was on fire, the mum-of-four was faced with the reality that she could have just moments left to live,
Ollie Jupp had been enjoying time in her mum’s garden when disaster struck Credit: True Life Stories
Her mum’s glass fireplace exploded, seeing Ollie catch on fire Credit: True Life Stories
Her jacket, made of polyester, set alight too, melting into her skin, as her husband desperately tried to beat out the flames. But they kept reigniting.
After frantically rolling on the ground, she was plunged into her mother’s , saving her life.
Just moments before, Ollie, 31, from , had been enjoying a family get-together in her mum’s garden after a .
But as her mum lit her new glass tabletop fireplace, it exploded in Ollie’s face, setting alight.
The fireplace used ethanol which caught alight Credit: True Life Stories
Ollie was only saved when her husband dunked her in the hot tub Credit: True Life Stories
Ollie was left with third degree burns to her arms and chest Credit: True Life Stories
Luckily the burns to Ollie’s face were superficial meaning she wouldn’t be permanently scarred Credit: True Life Stories
Horrifyingly, Ollie’s children witnessed their mum go up in flames, and had it not been for the she might not be here today.
Ollie, now a stay-at-home mum since the incident, says: “Let my story be a warning to everyone.
“Do not buy those glass, tabletop burners. They look pretty but they are deadly.”
In June 2022, Ollie and her husband were raising twin girls, 14, and a younger daughter, 10 at their home in Ashford, Kent.
The busy mum owned her own cleaning company, and her mother, 53, worked for her.
Ollie says: “Mum sent a photo showing me her new fireplace. It was this modern, glass tabletop burner to go on the table outside in her garden.
“She’d bought it off and it was stunning. I told Mum I loved it so she promised to buy me one.
“Days later, Mum brought my own one over. All night, the glass looked modern, and stylish. It lit up my garden well.
“Mum couldn’t wait to show off hers too. But she was waiting for her garden makeover.”
Skin grafts from her thighs and bum were used to treat her burns Credit: True Life Stories
She says that the skin grafts were more painful than the burns Credit: True Life Stories
Ollie has been trying to embrace her scars Credit: True Life Stories
Ollie, pictured now, is sharing her story to warn others agains the fire places Credit: True Life Stories
Later that month, Ollie, her husband and her mum spent every evening after work renovating the garden.
Ollie says: “We painted the fences, fixed slabs for a new patio, and built a pergola. Mum had even bought a jacuzzi.
“We were excited as Mum’s house was the hub for our family.
“By Friday afternoon, one week later, the garden was complete. We were exhausted and couldn’t wait to order a takeaway and relax.
“The kids were over too, running around the garden with their cousins.
“I looked at the hot tub again and scoffed to Mum. I told her she wouldn’t use it, and that hot tubs were overrated.”
Ollie’s children went upstairs to the playroom, whilst Ollie sat at the outdoor dining table while her mum ordered a Chinese.
Ollie says: “I was sat about a metre away as Mum went to light it.
“First, she poured Ethanol into it. Then she used a candle lighter to get the fire going.
“But suddenly this enormous, blue flame just mushroomed towards my face. It happened so fast.
“I realised my head, chest and arms were covered in blue flames. My jacket that was made of polyester also went up in flames too.
“I was on fire but I didn’t scream out, I was in too much shock.
The 8 fire safety checks you should do in your home every night
TO avoid a devastating fire in your home, there are some checks you should be conducting every night, according to Gov.uk.
- Close inside doors at night to stop a fire from spreading
- Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your freezer.
- Check your cooker is turned off
- Don’t run appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers overnight
- Turn heaters off and put up fireguards
- Put candles and cigarettes out properly
- Make sure exits are kept clear
- Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them
“I leapt up off the chair, desperate for help. I felt my husband smacking me in the face, trying to put the flames out, over and over.”
As Ollie lay in the grass she could hear the panic growing in her mum and husband’s voices as they struggled to put the flames out.
She says: “My husband picked me up, and slam-dunked me onto the grass, he jumped on my back, trying to smother the flames.
“Mum was trying to smother it too but the flames would go for a moment, then re-light again because of the ethanol.
“I thought I was going to die.”
Finally, Ollie’s quick-thinking husband picked her up and dunked her into the jacuzzi.
She says: “I came up for air, gasping and realised the flames had gone out and I was alive.
“Just moments before, I’d been bad mouthing Mum’s new jacuzzi. Now, it had saved my life. If it wasn’t there, I might’ve been dead. I couldn’t believe the irony.”
Ollie stood up in the jacuzzi, relieved but as she looked down, she felt sheer panic and horror.
She says: “My skin was melting off my hands, floating on top of the water.
“Mum was absolutely hysterical. I’d never seen her cry before; she was a tough woman.”
Ollie’s quick-thinking husband sprang into action, wrapping her hands and arms in cling film, to act as an air barrier to reduce the pain and prevent infection.
He sped Ollie to William Harvey Local hospital in Ashford, luckily only a five minute drive away whilst Ollie’s mum stayed behind with the children.
Ollie says: “In hospital, nurses showered me, and began scraping off my dead skin.
“Although they gave me morphine, the pain was horrendous. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.
“I’d already had a rough year. I’d suffered an ectopic pregnancy and thought things couldn’t get any worse, yet now it had.
“Soon, my face, half bandaged up, had swelled up three times the size.
“That night, my husband slept on the floor and the next day, the doctor stated ‘That man saved your life.’
“He was right. He was my hero.”
That afternoon, Ollie was transferred to a specialist burns unit at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.
There, she discovered she had third degree burns to her arms and chest. Her only relief was that her facial burns were superficial.
Ollie says: “But I didn’t recognise myself. I felt vulnerable and disgusting, like I’d lost all my dignity.
“Yet I was glad it had been me, and not my mum. She was too old to deal with this trauma.
“I soon learned how my children had all seen me on fire. They’d watched it happen from the bedroom window.
“I was horrified they’d witnessed me like that. I’d come so close to death.”
After a week, the hospital discharged the mum as an outpatient. She’d have to return later for surgeries.
Back at home, the family struggled with the trauma of the events.
She says: “The kids had been suffering with flashbacks. Whilst Mum was wracked with guilt.
“Mum blamed herself but I kept reassuring her it wasn’t her fault. It was just a horrible accident.”
The next week, on her 28th birthday, Ollie returned to hospital for surgery. She had skin grafts taken from her bum and thigh which were placed onto her chest and arms.
Ollie says: “When I woke from surgery it was agony. The grafting was more painful than the burns.
“After that, Mum’s new gorgeous garden became the scene of the crime. She didn’t want to use it again.
“But I made my family go back there, and order the Chinese we never had. I was determined to get back to normal.
“The only thing missing was the fireplace, which Mum had thrown out and my husband had thrown ours out too.”
After that, Ollie struggled adapting to her new life as a burn survivor.
The mum says: “I was ashamed of my scars, and would hide them in long clothing.
“Before the accident I’d also been a positive, hardworking business woman but I couldn’t leave the house anymore.
“I was certain something bad would happen to me again if I did so I became reclusive, and my business broke down.
“I projected my fears onto my kids too, banning them from using the Bunsen burners in science classes.
“I became paranoid they’d choke on their food, or a horrible accident would happen.
“I hated fire and for a while, I couldn’t cook dinners. If I smelt gas, I’d freak out.
“It was me dealing with PTSD on the daily.”
But as time went on Ollie’s physical scars healed and eventually, her mental scars did too.
“Although my husband and I ended up splitting from the stress of everything, I eventually got back to my old self,” she says.
“Even embracing my scars in low-cut, short-sleeve tops.
“Now, life’s on the up. I’ve recently had a beautiful daughter who’s 10 months old.
“I never knew how much I needed her. Our little angel.
“Since everything, Mum and I considered suing the company who made the fireplace.
“Although it was off Amazon, we tracked it down to a flat in China. But nothing came of it.
“I hope they come off the market. I worry for kids and parents near them in gardens in the UK.
“Please do not buy one, you could lose your life.”
The Sun has contacted Amazon for a comment
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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