A Florida mom of five died after her 11-year-old son was seriously hurt in a backyard campfire accident.
Nicole Foltz, 38, allegedly received 95% body burns in a campfire accident in her garden in Tarpon Springs, Pinellas County, last month.
Three days after the event, the mom died in the hospital, and now the neighborhood is gathering behind her family as they prepare for Christmas without the lady they regarded as their “beam of light.”
Jeffrey Foltz, the woman’s husband, detailed how they had a fire burning in the backyard while enjoying time outside with their kids and friends on Nov. 14.
He had just gone inside, and to his understanding, she chose to try to keep the fire going, keep the fun going, and she threw another log on it, and there wasn’t much flame at all, he explained But she simply felt that pouring a little gas on it would restart it, and it did. It must have gone up the gas stream to the gas can and burst in her hands.
Foltz’s 11-year-old son was also injured in the explosion, and they were both taken to Tampa General Hospital.
According to Jeffrey Foltz, the youngster suffers second-degree burns on about 40% of his body.
He was hospitalized for 12 days before returning home.
He’s holding up very well and sure the whole team there was amazed to hear that he was walking two days after they arrived home, the older Foltz told.
The father and now widower expressed that he never left his side in the hospital, which was tough since he felt awful for the other kids. He understands how it feels to not have someone at one’s bedside 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s simply one of those mindless actions that you don’t expect to see in your own family, he continued. When it comes to fire, gasoline is no laughing matter. One must be cautious or do not do it at all.
He doesn’t want to read about another family going through this. It’s unfathomable, he stated.
The family intends to convert the fire pit into a birdbath, as the mother has always desired.
Accidents do occur, and they may wreck one’s life, Jeffrey Foltz said. She affected individuals in ways she can’t even fathom.
All in all, one of the greatest, most honest guys they’ve ever met. She possessed a fierceness. Everyone adored her, he said.
Nicole Foltz worked as a manager and server at Tarpon Tavern, which launched a fundraiser in her honor.
She always put a smile on everybody’s face, Tarpon Tavern owner Ania Bozena said. She cherished her work, where everyone appreciated her not just for her hard work, but also for her personality and companionship.”
She was a loving wife to her wonderful husband Jeff. But most importantly, she was a wonderful mother who always prioritized her family, Bozena elaborated. Here at Tarpon Tavern and their sister restaurant The Bistro next door, they miss her tremendously.
