The parents of a “beautiful” four-year-old girl who has been left severely burned after a garden heater exploded and engulfed her in flames in a “horrendous” accident are calling for greater fire safety awareness. Charlotte Woodman and Alan Boddington’s daughter Tay Boddington was sat near a garden heater, run by bioethanol, at a family gathering on May 12, which unexpectedly exploded after being lit, setting her on fire. Charlotte, 36, who runs School House Daycare in Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, said her daughter was a “ball of flames” and she tried to “pat her down”, before Alan, 56, who runs a vehicle fleet management company, rushed to place her body under running water in the bath.
Read more: Clare woman shares reality of living with Crohn’s disease nearly 45 years after diagnosis Read more: Cork father-of-three in fight against Motor Neurone Disease: “Every day presents its challenges" Tay was then 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. Tay 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. Since the couple, who live in Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire, are feeling “overwhelmed” by this “traumatic” event, their friend Carly Chapl.