My girl, 6, went up in flames days before Christmas as she was innocently colouring, don’t make the same mistake I did
WATCHING her twin daughters happily colouring in together just days before Christmas, Heather Moore was looking forward to spending time together as a family.
Little did she know that just minutes later her festive plans would go awry and she'd be spending the festive period sitting beside a hospital bed.
Leaving her daughters Carmen and Cate, then six, for a brief moment to use the toilet, Heather, 37, returned to a scene of horror - Carmen's dress had been set alight by a candle which she'd left burning.
It was thanks to the mum and her chemist husband Bobby, 36, who came to the rescue and helped douse the flames that Carmen survived.
The terrified little girl asked her parents if she was going to die whilst being airlifted to the children’s burn unit nearby.
“That day I thought I was going to lose my daughter," says Heather, who is now speaking out to warn other parents of the dangers of candles during the festive period.
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“I urge all parents never to leave candles burning around your house. It only takes a moment for an accident to happen.”
In 2021, Heather was a busy mum, juggling kids and a job as a primary school teacher.
In December that year and with Christmas around the corner, the girls broke up from school for the holidays.
Heather says: “It was just three days until the big day and the girls couldn’t wait for Santa.
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“I lit the dining table candle, then began cleaning the kitchen. Whilst Bobby went downstairs to do the laundry.
“Carmen and Cate both got their pencils and paper out at the table. I told them I was going to the toilet."
A minute later, Heather heard screams coming from the room where the girls were sitting.
She says: "My heart sank into my stomach.
“I sprinted back, and noticed the candle, tipped over on the table. The girls weren’t there.
“I heard screaming again, coming from the next room. It was horrendous."
Heather dashed to the living room where she found Carmen standing on the sofa 'howling' in pain, and covered in flames.
As her little girl screamed in agony, Heather began desperately trying to pat out the flames with her bare hands.
Heather says: “It wouldn’t work so I was screaming for Bobby. I was hysterical and felt helpless. I almost passed out from the shock.
“Bobby rushed in and knew exactly what to do. His work as a chemist and working for first response teams had prepared him for that very moment."
Pulling the little girl into his arms, Bobby managed to extinguish the flames, which ultimately saved Carmen's life.
Carmen looked at me, and asked ‘Am I going to die, Mummy?’ It was so horrific - I didn’t know if she would survive.
Heather Moore
Heather, from Elkton, Maryland, explains: “He laid Carmen on her front and sliced open her dress with scissors.
“I saw Carmen’s skin had melted off her body and it was black and full of ash. I was sobbing for my baby.
“Bobby got wet paper towels and tended to her wounds, while I called an ambulance.
“Cate, had hid under her bed terrified, she was full of tears.
“Carmen looked at me, and asked ‘Am I going to die, Mummy?’ It was so horrific - I didn’t know if she would survive.”
Carmen was airlifted to the nearest children’s burn unit, John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, 50 miles away from their home.
There, doctors stabilised the youngster and put her on medication to help ease the pain. She'd suffered third-degree burns to her back and bottom.
Doctors removed the infected and damaged tissue from Carmen’s wounds, before bandaging her up.
The next day in hospital, Carmen told her mum that whilst she was leaning over the table to get her pencil, the candle had caught her dress.
Heather blamed herself: “As a mother I felt guilt-ridden. I was a mess, asking myself why I’d left a candle out by the girls," she adds.
On Christmas Eve, doctors told the parents that Carmen would need gruelling skin grafts to repair the damage to her skin.
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
Whilst her daughter bravely battled her injuries, Heather tried to make Christmas Day as enjoyable as she could.
“The hospital staff had decorated the wards with tinsel and decorations and nurses took me into a room and let me choose presents for Carmen," says Heather.
“I picked some soft toys she’d love and they wrapped them up. Carmen woke up, and was shocked that Santa had come.
“She thought he’d used the same helicopter which had taken her to hospital to fly over her presents.
“Later that day, Bobby and Cate drove over and the girls opened the rest of their gifts on Carmen's bed.
“We wore matching snowman onesies. It wasn’t the Christmas we’d planned, but it was still very special.”
Although she’d never look the same again, I refused to let her be ashamed of her new body.
Heather Moore
Meanwhile, as Carmen recovered, the community rallied together and sent the family money to help with food and toys.
And in the January, Carmen was allowed home where the family enjoyed a belated Christmas.
Now, Carmen continues to heal.
“Over time, Carmen’s scars healed amazingly," says Heather. "Although she’d never look the same again, I refused to let her be ashamed of her new body.
“By summer time, she wore tank tops, shorts and skirts. She was also back to doing her favourite hobbies like gymnastics, dancing and karate again."
Heather is now asking parents to heed her warning.
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She says: “Please, to any parents reading this, don’t leave candles around your house. Bobby and I refuse to buy them now and we also have fire blankets in every room too.
"We’re so proud of our little girl."
