Woman seriously burned by exploding can of cooking spray

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) - A sudden explosion in a kitchen left a woman with horrific burns all over her body and nearly took her life. Now, she wants to share what happened to her, in hopes that it might save someone else.

"Let's just say, I know what Hell feels like," Carrie Jones said.

Jones said that she was cooking in a kitchen in Northgate on Thursday when an unexpected blast changed her life. All she remembers before it happened is putting a fork in a pan.

"I was blown away. I was exploded upon, and I was on fire," she said.

In shock, it took a minute for Jones to realize that she was covered in flames that were burning her face, her arms and her chest.

A friend who was there called 911.

"Everyone is trying to tell you to calm down and breathe, but I couldn't catch my breath," Jones said.

In the meantime, Jones, through her still working Bluetooth, called her aunt, Bunnie Stallings.

"I hear moaning, oh my God. That just went right through me," Stallings said. "She was just like, 'I'm on fire!' She was burning. All of her nerve endings, everything, was burning."

Colerain Township firefighters were called to the scene and worked quickly to help Jones using emergency equipment, like cardiac monitors and medications, that they have on their fire apparatus.

Jones was taken to the hospital where she was treated. She is now out of the hospital and is an outpatient at a burn clinic.

Jones said it's hard to do typical tasks like bathing or getting dressed, but she knows it could've been much worse. Had her eyes been open when the explosion took place, doctors said she could be blind.

"People die from things like that. I'm like 'wow, my life could have ended this night,'" Jones said.

Fire officials said the source of the fire was an aerosol cooking spray can that was right next to the stove. They suspect it overheated or fell onto a flame and that turned it into a fireball.

Jones said leaving it there was unintentional and that it was an accident that she hopes doesn't happen to anyone else.

"Be cautious of your surroundings, of things that are combustible, of things that are explosive," Jones said.

Jones said there is really no way of knowing exactly how long it will take her to fully heal.

Since she is currently unable to work due to her injuries, friends and family are collecting donations for Jones to help cover the costs of medical expenses that are not being handled by insurance. If you would like to donate, you can visit the fundraising site here.

FOX19 NOW reached out to the company that makes the cooking spray. A company rep said "the safety of our products is our top priority" and added that they plan to contact Jones directly.

Colerain Township firefighters said that cooking fires are one of the biggest causes of fires in the home.

They said it's best to keep aerosol cans far away from anything flammable.

They also provided some other safety tips:

• Store things in proper, safe places. Avoid storing items on the stove or in the oven because you could forget about the items which could lead to a fire.
• Never store aerosol cans on or near the stove or near anything that is flammable.
• It is best to keep aerosol cans as far away from the stove/heat as possible. Do not store the cans in cabinets that are near or above the stove because the heat can still affect them.

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