14-Year-Old Girl Catches Fire While Removing Nail Polish Near Lit Candle

Kennedy was getting ready for a basketball game on January 5 when she was burned, according to an email to CafeMom from Shriners Children's Ohio. The teenager is a cheerleader and wanted to be sure that she conformed to the game dress code.

"I had to take my fingernail polish off because it's not in uniform and as I was taking it off I had a candle near me on my bed," Kennedy told People. "As I was setting the bottle of nail polish remover down on my bed the fumes kind of just mixed together and the bottle exploded in my hand. It caught me and everything near me on fire."

The teen recalled having done a similar routine many times in the past, but nothing like this had ever happened before. She screamed in pain as her hands, bed, and hair all caught fire. Thankfully, her siblings heard her and rushed to help.

Kennedy told People she was able to put out the flames on her body, and she and her siblings closed the bedroom door and rushed out of the house to call their parents and 911. Their mother, Brandi Garcia, 34, told People she arrived at the home at the same time as the ambulance, and it was terrifying to see her daughter in such pain.

"It was a horrific scene of her being covered in bubbles and welts and her skin being melted away," Garcia said. "It was a wild experience."

When the teen arrived at Shriners Children's Ohio in Dayton, an expert team got to work in the facility's burn unit. Dr. Sara Higginson, chief of staff, was on call as a surgeon in the burn unit that day and assessed Kennedy's significant injuries. The teen needed surgery to help repair and save her skin.

"Kennedy ended up having full thickness injuries on her abdomen, both thighs and then her right arm. And the other areas she was able to heal without having to have it excised and grafted," Higginson explained to People. "But she did have pretty extensive injuries to kind of the whole front side of her."

Kennedy's first skin graft surgery took place January 18, per the media release. As she continues her recovery through physical therapy and occupational therapy, her family is living in a hotel because the fire severely damaged their home.

Both the medical team and her family are impressed by Kennedy's tenacity. She has worked very hard to recover.

"Kennedy's a little warrior. She really has pushed through everything and they're really surprised at how well she's healing," Garcia said via People. "Three weeks later... it's just amazing how it looks now. Doctors say she's going to have minimal scarring, minimal everything. Their goal is to make sure she's comfortable with her body afterwards so we are very appreciative of them."

The treatment plan will continue for several years. Shriners sees patients until they are 21 years old.

"Moving forward we'll do a laser treatment every two months for six to 10 treatments to really make sure that all of the scarring is as functional as it can be," Higginson said to People. "Kennedy's awesome and she's moved through this process actually fairly fast and I think it's a testament to her mental toughness."

More from CafeMom: Parents Issue Warning After Toddler Is Badly Injured Playing Barefoot

Although many products warn of their flammability on the packaging, not everyone pays attention or understands the dangers. Garcia told People she hopes to prevent another accident like Kennedy's.

"Most kids in high school know that an open flame and an accelerant don't belong together but sometimes we just don't think of these things," Garcia explained. "And then teaching your kids fire safety as well because if they didn't know to shut that door, they all could have all been hurt."

Higginson echoed the mother's statement. "I think it's important to have a three feet safety buffer between flames, be they a fire pit, a candle, the stove," she said. "A big plus is that Kennedy understands how it could have been different and her desire to make sure that we get the message out."