"Awakened by My Daughter's Terrifying Screams: A Cautionary Tale to Avoid My Mistake"

JOLTING awake to the sound every parent dreads, Rhonda heard her six-year-old daughter’s blood-curdling screams.

Racing out her bedroom, the horrified mum-of-three found little Adara in flames after accidentally setting herself alight with a lighter she’d found.

Rhonda desperately beat at the flames with her bare hands before firefighters arrived and Adara suffered second and third-degree burns across her chest, arms, stomach and back.

Child protection services questioned the youngster’s parents after fearing it was caused deliberately, before concluding the fire had been a tragic accident.

Now, Rhonda Hawkins, 40, from Florida, US, is speaking exclusively to The Sun to warn parents of leaving or flammables within children’s reach.

Rhonda, who owns a hair braiding business, says: “I will never forget the moment I saw my baby girl’s body engulfed in flames.

“My world stopped. I thought I was going to lose her. Nothing prepares you for your child screaming in pain.

“I should’ve never left my lighter in the living room within reach of my child. I need to warn mums. I could’ve lost my daughter because of this mistake.”

In 2023, Rhonda and her long-term partner, Rodney Riley, 42, were raising their eldest son, Christian, then 17, and two younger daughters, Adara, then 6 and Qadira, then 4.

In May that year, the parents put their kids to bed. Afterwards they stayed up late watching a film.

Rhonda says: “Everything was completely normal. I’d kissed Adara goodnight, rubbed lotion into her skin and watched her settle down for the night.

“She shared a bedroom with her little sister Qadira. As Rodney and I went to bed, I thought they were both fast asleep.”

But unbeknown to Rhonda, Adara had woken in the night and found a lighter in the living room. She was trying to light it and her pyjama top accidentally .

Moments later, just after 1am, Rhonda was woken awake. She says: “I heard piercing screams.

“I gasped as I jumped out of bed. I knew it was one of the kids. I shook Rodney, and ran naked, into the hallway.

“Half asleep, I was nearly blinded by a bright light. It took a moment for me to register but I realised it was one of my children. Up in flames.

“I realised it was Adara. I couldn’t see her, as the flames were so high. But I knew it was her by her height.

“I began furiously patting out the flames with my bare hands whilst burning my own hands and wrists.

“Adara was screaming hysterically. I was beating out the flames stressing she was going to die.

“I finally thought it was over but Rodney yelled my name, stood behind me. I saw the flames had re-lighted again. It was the rhinestones on Adara’s pyjama top.

“I quickly pulled it over her head, ripping it off. Finally, the flames were out.”

Rodney scooped Adara into his arms as Rhonda dialled .

Rhonda says: “We got Adara onto the sofa and I realised her chest and arms were deformed. Her skin was melting off. There was blisters and blood pouring.

“I broke down. Rodney was consoling Adara, but also asking what she’d done. We had no idea how it had happened.

“She was sobbing, not telling us. But we both realised we’d left a lighter on the ornament. I wondered if Adara had got hold of it. But Adara had been asleep.”

Realising she was still naked, Rhonda swiftly put clothes on as and rushed into the family home within 10 minutes.

Adara’s siblings woke from the commotion, worried for their sister. Adara was blue-lighted to hospital.

Rhonda says: “Adara was weeping in the . They couldn’t give her pain meds yet. I held her hand, telling her that mummy was with her. My heart broke.

“Once Adara was wheeled in, doctors sedated her to begin skin debridement. They had to furiously scrub off her burned skin. I couldn’t stomach it.

“Beside myself, I waited in another room. But a woman from child protection services came in to question me.

“I told her about the lighter. That Rodney and I were smokers. The woman took down my statement and went home to question Rodney.

“I realised she was checking if Rodney and I had set Adara on fire. I wasn’t offended.

“I knew she was just doing her job, and keeping children safe. But I also felt nervous.

“If it was the lighter, I was negligent for leaving it out.”

Soon, doctors explained Adara had suffered second and third degree burns to her chest, stomach, arms and back.

Luckily, the flames hadn’t spread to her head. She’d been moments from away from death.

When Adara finally woke up, her parents were desperate for answers, asking her what happened.

Rhonda claims Adara was afraid and didn’t want to get in trouble. Claiming she didn’t remember.

Rhonda says: “Hours later, child protection services returned to interview her. Without me and her dad there.

“After, the woman told us determined there was no foul play. It was self-inflicted wounds. They saw from the burn marks and blisters on Adara’s fingers from lighting the lighter.

“I was relieved. But also full of guilt. I felt I’d failed as a mother. Child protection told us we needed to do a better job of putting our lighters away.”

After that, Adara underwent surgeries, cut from the healthy skin from both her thighs.

Rhonda says: “Looking at her burned skin, I couldn’t accept my daughter’s new reality.

“From all the stress, I could barely eat. Within two weeks, I lost 15lbs.

“Then after Adara had been in hospital for one week, I went back home to grab more clothes.

“I realised I’d missed period. I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Rodney and I were speechless.

“It was hard to be happy. We were going through the worst time of our life.

“The following day I booked in to see the doctors, right beside the same hospital treating Adara. I discovered I was two months along.

“It was really frightening knowing I’d been pregnant all along. I’d been so ill from stress from the past two weeks.

“The scan also showed not one healthy baby, but three. We were having .

“I wanted to celebrate. But Adara needed me more now than ever.

“I put the pregnancy news to the back of my head, and continued supporting Adara. I didn’t tell the kids.

“Any first trimester symptom I could’ve had was overridden by anxiety and stress.”

Adara continued recovering from surgeries and re-learning to move her arms again. After a month in hospital, she was discharged in June 2023.

At home, Rhonda and Rodney slowed pieced together that Adara had woke in the night to watch a kid’s show on the TV.

But she’d found the lighter and was playing with it, flicking it back and forth. The flame caught a rhinestone on her PJ top, setting her alight.

Rhonda says: “Rodney and I had a serious sit down with Adara. That she could’ve been taken from us or could’ve died.

“That she could never play with flammables again. But we also apologised for leaving it out too.

“Then when I was three months along, I sadly lost two of the babies. Doctors couldn’t diagnose it.

“But guessed it was due to my older age. I was in denial, still hoping I’d give birth to three babies.

“As my belly grew bigger, I was still bringing Adara back to health. Irritated and stressed, every waking moment was for her recovery.

“The pregnancy came second. I became resentful that I couldn’t enjoy it.”

As time went on, Adara grew stronger day by day. In January 2024, seven months after Adara’s accident, Rhonda gave birth to one surviving triplet, Rodney Jr, now 2.

Rhonda says: “Rodney Jr was my . Adara adored her new little brother.

“By the time Rodney Jr was three months old, it was a year post-accident.

“Adara had fully recovered. Her scars smoothed out, and her arm movement back to 100%.

“Before I knew it, she was picking up her siblings, playing again. Doing push ups, flips, and gymnastics moves.

“She was one resilient girl. Now, Adara’s 9. She’s still too afraid to speak properly of what happened that night.

“As a mum, I need to warn parents. Please keep things out of eyesight and reach of your kids.

“Lights, knives, and anything sharp or flammable. Kids are curious and think things look fun. They don’t see danger.

“I’m thankful my baby girl is alive, and we made it through as a family.”