A Pleasantville woman has a long recovery ahead after she was badly burned in a gas can explosion at her home.
Elba Mencias was in her backyard Sept. 28, trying to start a bonfire with gasoline.
“I’m guessing she added to much because it wasn’t turning on,” said her daughter Angeli Hernandez, who was at work at the time.
“When she did get to turn it on, there was a reaction and it exploded,” she told BreakingAC.
Mencias suffered burns to 45 percent of her body.
Hernandez’s cousin, who was also injured, had burns to her legs, and is now home.
But Mencias, 44, is hospitalized in critical condition.
“Her lungs are very weak,” Hernandez said. “But they’re doing the best they can to try to help her lungs be stable.”
Doctors estimate her recover will take two or three months, and she does not have insurance.
“My mom is a woman who has always been filled with joy,” Hernandez wrote on the GoFundMe page. “She really enjoys helping people and serving in our local community. Never would have I ever imagined seeing my mom go through such a hard situation.
“I ask God to help us overcome our emotions and that this message touches your heart,” she continued. “Anything from as little as $1 that you can donate will be of great help to cover all associated costs to this incident.”
