Hand sanitizers have become a necessity since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hand sanitizing is now part of our daily routines, but experts are now saying that it could pose a potential danger.
A Mom of 3 was unfortunately exposed to this very danger!
Kate Wise, from Austin, Texas, is recovering after her home went up in flames.
Wise said she used an off-brand hand sanitizer before lighting a candle at her home.
Speaking about the accident, Wise told reporters:
“The explosion happened in a matter of two seconds with my entire body on fire. And I heard my daughters screaming ‘mom’s on fire, mom’s on fire.'”
The explosion burned 18% of her body but miraculously her children were unharmed. Her two youngest daughters managed to escape while the Mom fought off the flames to save her teenage daughter who has cerebral palsy.
“I knew even in the chaos of things that she wasn’t going to be able to save herself,” Wise said.
Wise suffered second and third-degree burns to her face, arms and legs and spent several days in the intensive care unit.
Image: ABC News
Hand Sanitizers Pose Fire Risk
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fire incidents caused by alcohol-based hand sanitizers are very low however the National Fire Protection agency sees them as a flammable liquid.
Experts recommend that anyone using hand sanitizer make sure that their hands are completely dry before using anything which may ignite a flame such as lighters, gas stoves and heaters.
You can find some more fire safety tips here.