A Burleson, TX, woman is recovering from severe burns after a Bath & Body Works vanilla bean scented candle burst in her face. Ashley Brawley says she smelled something burning in her living room. When she ran in and saw the 3-wick scented candle was ablaze, she instinctively went to blow it out. Now, after being hospitalized for first- and second-degree burns to her face, she is warning others and looking for answers about whether or not the candle is defective.
In an interview with NBC, Brawley describes how the simple act of blowing out the flame landed her in the emergency room. “I walked in the living room and that’s when I saw the candle. It was in flames. I blew on it about three or four times and the last time I blew, it just went all up in my face…I immediately started screaming,” she said.
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When Brawley’s husband went into the living room to help his wife, he immediately took poured water on the candle and it exploded into several pieces. “Embarrassing as it is, I put water on it and it [the flames grew larger] you know and apparently you don’t do that,” said Cody Brawley. “After reading the bottom [of the candle] it does tell you that…the thing was burning hot so I grabbed the oven mitts and walked outside and hit it with the water hose.”
Bath & Body Works issued an apology to the Brawleys and says they are further investigating the incident: “We are very sorry that this happened and are taking this situation extremely seriously. The safety of our customers is our number-one priority, and we are actively working to learn more details from the customer.”
For now, Ashley Brawley is searching for answers as to why her candle malfunctioned while she recovers from painful burns to her lip, cheeks, nose and forehead. “I would’ve never imagine in a million years that I would walk in and it would be in flames,” she said. “I’ll never use a candle again. Ever. I mean, it scared me.”
