Mom Of 5 Dies After Backyard Firepit Accident; 11-Year-Old Severely Injured

A Florida mother of five died following a firepit accident in her backyard, WFTS reported.

Nicole Foltz, 38, and her husband, Jeff, started a small fire last month in an effort to repel bugs from their backyard in Tarpon Springs while hosting guests.

Foltz poured gas on the embers to keep the fire burning longer, which led to the ignited flame burning up to the gas can and causing a sudden explosion.

“She put another log on the fire. She poured the gas into it, and it ignited and blew the can up in her hands which caused her to run, panic. She actually stopped, dropped and rolled like you are supposed to,” Jeff Foltz told WFTS. 

The 38-year-old suffered severe burns throughout her entire body and died while in hospital care days later.

The couple's son, Jeffrey, 11, also suffered burns to 40% of his body and was hospitalized for 12 days before being released in November.

The child is still recovering at home from second and third-degree burns, but his father said the injuries could have been worse had it not been for the t-shirt the child was wearing.

“This shirt is what my son was wearing the night of the fire. This is his favorite shirt that his mother bought for him over the summer,” Jeff wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post with a photo of the shirt. "I'm sometimes left now with questions of how He is so happy to know he has this shirt that he can cherish forever as am I!"

Nicole Foltz worked at Tapron Tavern in Tarpon Springs, which, along with The Bistro, combined to donate 10% of their respective proceeds made on December 2 to the Foltz family.

A GoFundMe page was also launched by a local resident to "assist the family with Nicole's funeral costs, her hospital bills, young Jeffrey’s existing and ongoing hospital bills for skin graphs and long-term rehabilitation, childcare, and ongoing living expenses for the surviving family of six who are now without Nicole’s income."