Copyright birminghammail
A woman has suffered life-changing injuries with horrific burns after a garden bonfire suddenly exploded. Siân Morgan, 44, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, sustained devastating burns to her face, neck, and limbs in March this year. The bonfire, which had been lit in her back garden, suddenly erupted in flames, causing burns across 10% of her body - whilst her panicked husband desperately tried to extinguish the fire. She remained in intensive care for ten days, enduring multiple skin grafting procedures, before being transferred to another ward for recovery. Speaking to the BBC , Siân revealed: "My face was black, I didn't have any skin. "I've lost part of my ear and I burnt my neck and my arms and my hands - it's been devastating. "It's been a hard few months but it's not over yet. "I've had surgeries on my throat because that was damaged and I've got to have surgery on my mouth. "It's been very traumatic." Siân continues to receive ongoing scar management treatment as an outpatient at the Burns Centre in Swansea, and praises her care as "excellent. "The care I received throughout was excellent, from the moment the ambulance arrived up until I was discharged," she said. "I could not have asked for a better experience in the circumstances. "It really was gold standard. "The facilities were first class as well. "Having a family room there was particularly helpful as my husband and family were back and forth while I was staying there. I couldn't fault anything." Sian has started telling her story in the run-up to Bonfire Night , during which week hospitals witness a surge in patients arriving at A&E with burn injuries. Welsh ambulance crews handled over 1,100 emergency 999 calls plus another 1,700 non-urgent calls to NHS 111 Wales on Bonfire Night last year alone. From 2019 onwards, the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery at Morriston Hospital, amongst Europe's biggest and most active burns units, has treated more than 60 firework-related casualties. Chief Medical Officer, Professor Isabel Oliver, said:. "Fireworks can cause severe injury, including burns and breathing difficulties particularly for people with asthma and respiratory conditions. "They should only be handled by adults in a carefully supervised environment and the safest place to enjoy them is at an organised public display. Please stand well back and never return to a lit firework. "If you build a bonfire, it should be in a safe location with any necessary permissions. "The fire should be an appropriate size and located well away from people, trees and properties taking into account wind direction. "Please take care to stay safe."
