A "BEAUTIFUL" four-year-old girl was left severely burned after a garden heater exploded in front of her. Tay Boddington was engulfed in a ball of flames in the "horrendous" accident, according to her horrified parents. 7 Tay Boddington was left severely burned after a garden heater exploded Credit: PA 7 The four-year-old was 'engulfed in a ball of flames' in front of her parents Credit: PA They are now calling for greater fire safety awareness so other families don't have to go through the same ordeal.
Charlotte Woodman and Alan Boddington were at a family gathering with their little girl on May 12 when the "traumatic" events unfolded. Tay was sitting near a garden heater, run by bioethanol, when it suddenly exploded after being lit. The youngster was immediately set on fire.
Charlotte, 36, who runs School House Daycare in Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, said her daughter was a "ball of flames" and she desperately tried to "pat her down". Alan, 56, who runs a vehicle fleet management company, then rushed to place her body under running water in the bath. Tay was taken to Northampton General Hospital before being transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment and "superb" NHS care at the Burns Centre .
The brave schoolgirl has undergone several skin grafts – where doctors have shaved off her hair to take skin from her scalp to place on parts of her body – but she faces further surgeries and has suffered significant nerve damage.
